Webs of Time
by Alltheroads
Summary: Yuffie finds herself traveling through time, and experiencing a teammates darkest moments. Is it her right to change it? Eventual VxY PART TWO INSIDE!
1. It can't be

This fic is dedicated to the following people: Akeara4 (For reading it with entusiasm), DustTraveller (For writing my favorite Yuffentine of all time), and to Valentine'sNinja (Who's fics I am hopelessly addicted to)

Also to my sister.

Enjoy

-x-

Everything was white. That was all she could see at the moment.

'Such a boring color,' She could remember thinking at the time. It didn't concern her that she didn't know where she was, or why all she could see was the color white.

Then, her reality set in.

"Where in Leviathan's name am I?" She sat up, and saw that white covered the walls, the ceiling, and her clothes. Even the flowers on the bedside table she was lying on was white. She was in a hospital, she realized.

Yuffie Kisaragi, age 21, had somehow managed to wind up in the hospital.

Odd, considering where she was last. That however seemed ages ago. Just how long was she asleep?

She tried to get out of the (uncomfortable) bed, but soon found that she was lacking the strength needed to do so and fell to the floor.

'_Ok, ow.' _

She pushed herself off the floor and back onto the bed.

Had Vincent just left her there in the hospital? He knew how much she detested them. She hated them about as much as he had. The clothes they had made you wear made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Even the very smell of the place made her gag.

'_I am SO going to kick his ass. Even if he was just helping me all along, he just put me in this dump. Was I even sick? I don't remember me getting sick.'_

Flashes of bright light filled her mind… then… white. Just white? This… maybe a problem.

'Maybe I should call Cloud! No wait, Cloud never answers his phone. Neither does Vincent. Nanaki can barely speak into his phone. However funny it is, I really don't feel like dealing with it. Barret… is too loud. Cid… NO. Tifa! Der, why didn't I think of that sooner?'

She looked around for her phone. It wasn't on the nightstand, or anywhere else as far as she could see. No phone, no luck, and no company. However, there was plenty of white. The color started to get on her nerves.

Determined to do something, _anything,_ she tried to get up again. Although her balance wasn't as steady as she hoped it would be, it would be enough for now.

She cautiously stepped towards the door; trying to save whatever dignity she had left. (And there wasn't much.)

She peeked out the doorway, observing the busy doctors, who were obviously too busy to notice the poor ninja's existence.

'Well, not for not long…'

"Hey!" Even though her voice had cracked from lack of use, she had managed to say this loud enough to attract attention from miles away.

"Oh, Miss! You're awake!" A young woman of about 23 approached Yuffie with haste. Perhaps she thought that she would cause some kind of commotion. Had she known Yuffie a little better, she would find out she was indeed correct.

The young woman gracefully entered the room and pushed Yuffie, once again, back on the bed. (Which she was also beginning to hate.)

"Ok, lady. What's the deal here? What's wrong with me?" She 'politely' asked.

"I'm Dr. Griffon, you were knocked out… and I'm not sure." She smiled quietly. "You have out for quite a while, young lady."

"Wowzers… ok. Few weeks. My friends better have been visiting me! Have they? You know, the ones from AVALANCHE? I'm sure you've seen them. Oh, if Tifa hasn't been visiting me, I am so taking the friend card back-"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"You know, Tifa Lockhart."

"Never seen, or heard of her before."

"C'moooon. We beat Sephiroth! Cloud, me, and AVALANCHE!"

"Sephiroth…"

'Is this woman living in a hole?!'

Then Yuffie noticed the calendar on the wall.

'Hospitals really must be getting cheap. They didn't even bother to get a new calendar! That one is fifty years old!' She thought, though, in truth, she was starting to get anxious.

"So… did you… I mean. That calendar… isn't it a few years old?" It was hard not to let sarcasm drip into her voice. She didn't want to be rude on purpose yet. This Dr. Griffon seemed nice.

"Actually, that's new."

"So… that's really the date…"

"Miss, are you ok?"

'Fifty… fifty years… I'm STUCK fifty years ago. This had better not be some sick prank. Stupid Cid.'

"Miss?"

"Sorry… What?"

"Miss, do you even know your name?"

'_I have to lie. I mean… I don't want to mess up the Space-time thingy. If this isn't a dream, I mean.'_

"Of course I do! I'm… um… Effie. Cloti?"

'_Cloti?! __That's the fakest name I ever heard! But I was thinking of Cloud and Tifa! And their Celebrity Couple name I gave them behind their back. Heh.'_

"Ok, Effie. Do you know your birthday?"

"No."

"Where you live?"

"I think it MIGHT be in Wutai… but… Nope. Don't have a place to go."

"Can you say you're times tables?"

"Lady, please. I'm the great ninja Y… Effie. I know those backwards."

While Dr. Griffon was thinking, Yuffie took the time to get a good look at her.

She had the darkest black hair she had ever seen, blue eyes that stood out against her ghostly complexion. She had a small, slender figure, suggesting that she had a Wutain background. Her features were indeed sharp, but graceful with a soft voice to compliment it. Also, her quiet voice seemed vaguely familiar. To Yuffie, she seemed like an old, forgotten friend. However, this was impossible. Yuffie didn't know any 70-year-old people, save for her many (and she meant many) relatives.

The doctor's muttering brought her back to the world.

"No ID, no money, no place to stay. Hm, do you think you can contact any of your friends?"

Yuffie nearly burst out laughing.

'I don't think that they can hear me from here.'

"Nope. So what are you going to do, kick me out of the hospital? Make me wash dishes 'cause I can't pay?"

The doctor just smiled.

"I will figure something out. In the mean time, why don't you get some rest? You must be tired. I do believe you hit your head. Couldn't find any bumps, no signs of bruises…"

She trailed off and left the room with a very confused Yuffie.

Yuffie found that even though she woke up minutes ago, she was indeed tired. Her eyelids drooped over her rain cloud eyes, and the bed that felt like it was filled with tiny shuriken before, felt awfully comfortable.

-x-

"_Vincent, you will never __believe__ what I found!"_

"…"

"_It's this cave where there's this powerful materia-"_

"…"

"_-And even though it's a legend, you know I have to try because-"_

"_Yuffie."_

"_- I am the great ninja Yuffie! I have a reputation to hold up, you know!"_

"_Yuffie."_

"_Hm? What is it Vampire-boy?"_

"_Why are you telling this to me?"_

"_Well, I was hoping you would come with me. I asked everyone else, and they ALL have something to do. Can you believe that? Anyway, I didn't ask you last 'cause I don't like you or anything. I like you. So don't think that I don't"_

_Vincent raised a delicate eyebrow._

"_So will you? Come with me? Please?" She leaned against his shoulder in hope of looking to adorable to say no to. However, he seemed unfazed by her attempts._

"_Aw, c'mon Vinnie! What else do you have to do? Sleep in a box?"_

"_Yuffie…"_

"_You still owe me! From when I totally saved your butt!"_

_He let out a short sigh._

"_YAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Before she cared to think about what she was doing, she placed a kiss on his cheek, and skipped off in excitement. _

_Was that the first time in over thirty years since someone showed such affection and excitement for nothing but his company? (And materia) _

Yes, in fact, it was.

-x-

"Effie-Chan… wake up." A soft voice filled her mind, and the soundless air around her, and it slowly lulled her back into consciousness.

"'Cent?" She sighed, and opened her eyes. She expected to see her all-in-red-and-black companion, but saw nothing but the young doctor.

"Wake up, I have news, sleepy head."

"Nooooooo… not yet."

"I'll let you wear your normal clothes…"

'She's done this before. She must baby-sit, or something.'

Yuffie sat up slowly, yet eagerly. Perhaps the new was that as soon as she finished washing all the dishes, she could go home. And that she could wear normal clothes whilst doing so.

The doctor pointed at the side table, and Yuffie practically pounced on the poorly built piece of furniture. Inside was here blue tank top and yellow shorts. Her gray striped boots were still M.I.A, but at least she had her lovely, lovely clothes.

As she put them on, the doctor spoke quickly, and somewhat wearily.

"Listen, I usually not allowed to do this sort of thing, and I did have to pull some strings, but you… you can come to my place for a while. Until you can get back up on your feet, I mean."

Yuffie raised both eyebrows.

"You, hopefully would also help around the house?"

Yuffie's mouth dropped open. For the first time in a long time, she was speechless.

"Is that too much of a problem? Or did you remember who, or where your friends are? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"No… It's not that… It's just, that's really nice. And trusting! How do you know I'm not some creep out to kill you?"

Dr. Griffon let out a loud laugh, too loud for her. She was so quiet, so fragile looking.

"I highly doubt someone who doesn't remember her own birthday is out to murder me."

"Wow, thanks Doc! This is unbelievable! And don't you worry, you can go ahead and throw those chores at me! They won't be a problem."

She meant to run up and hug the doctor, but instead fell flat on her face. She had forgotten that she kicked sheets off in her sleep.

She almost never failed to trip on them in the morning.

The doctor, however, misinterpreted this.

"You will still feel a little dizzy. Though I can't place what happened to you, I can pretty much narrow it down to a head injury. All you need is a little rest. Such a strange injury, though, I never could figure out what had happened. Perhaps, time will tell?"

Time… How long was she to stay here? She didn't belong here. She never would. But, she didn't want to think about that right then.

"When can we get out of here I hate hospitals." She said suddenly.

"I think you should stay here, at least for one more night. I still need to get… some things taken care of. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Maybe some aspirin? I have a booming headache from all this silence."

She left the room swiftly, pondering how to break it to her patient that she did not live alone. She wondered how she would break it to him too.

She returned to the room and placed the aspirin accompanied with a glass of water on the bedside table.

Yuffie watched the doctor do so, and noticed a strong look of concentration on her face.

"Is something wrong?"

Her question was left unanswered, because another young woman had entered the room. She seemed to have no interest in Yuffie.

"Dr. Griffon, there is someone on the line for you."

"Excuse me Effie-Chan." She slipped out of the room quietly, and headed towards the desk that resided a couple of feet from Yuffie's room.

Yuffie, being the curious person that she was, followed.

Though the young doctor tried to be discreet about the conversation, she was loud, and frantic.

"N-no. You can't… What? Please, stop yelling… If you could just stay there a little longer… You will? Oh, thank god… O.k., yes… I'll be right there." She hung up the phone (It looked as though she tried not to slam the innocent contraption.) and hurried back to her patient's room.

"Change of plans, Effie-Chan. We need to leave. Now."

The sudden change of plans left Yuffie in a state of confusion. What had changed that she needed to leave with the doctor now?

"Hurry, please"

Dr. Griffon scurried over to the small closet that Yuffie had missed before, and took out her striped boots. She handed them to Yuffie, who practically jumped into her shoes. She really missed them.

They proceeded to leave the room, with Dr. Griffon only looking forward.

"Miri? Are you leaving already?" One of the nurses asked.

"I'm sorry, I have to leave. Effie Cloti is leaving with me. Please try to keep me out of trouble." Miri said.

The doctors pace kept increasing, and Yuffie found herself practically running. Though Dr. Griffon was petite, she had long legs.

'She must be in a lot of trouble. I'm having trouble keeping up with her and I'm the great ninja Yuffie!'

-x-

They had reached the garage within five minutes, surprising Yuffie at the hospital's small size.

There were not many cars in the parking lot, telling Yuffie it was either too early of too late for any visitors. The lone car in the lot was a rusty kind of red, bothering the ninja. She was used to white, and in truth, felt a little lost without.

'Weird. Guess that's expected for the White rose of Wutai.'

Miri fumbled through her pockets for her keys, anxious to get out of there.

Yuffie got in, and appreciated what fifty years could do to technology. The red car was bulky, awkward, and cramped feeling. Maybe even for it's time.

In a few short minutes, they were on the road, with only silence as their company. To Yuffie, it had seemed an eternity ago since she was last in that hospital bed.

Dr. Griffon surprised her by breaking the silence.

"I have a son…" She said bluntly.

The ninja wasn't quite sure if she had heard right.

"Another babysitter just quit on me. They all quit in the end, and I don't know why."

"You… have a son?"

'She's barely older me! She is too young! Way too young!'

"He's seven. I had him when I was sixteen. It's one of the best… and worst things I have ever done. Some may even see it as a sin. It will be a burden I carry with me for the rest of my life." She almost sounded as if she was going to cry.

"We all make mistakes… I mean-"

"I don't need your sympathy." This time, her voice sounded like a low, familiar grow;.

"Well… if you need a babysitter, I won't quit you! I'm great with kids! I know these two kids, Denzel and Marlene, and they love me. In fact, I'm like a big kid myself!"

Miri, though still tensed, cracked a smile.

"Thank you, Effie. I'm sure he will like you."

It was then Yuffie knew why the doctor made her leave then. She need Yuffie to be there, and watch her son while she went to work. It wasn't exactly black mail, she seemed to nice to do something like that. She was desperate, and Yuffie was there.

She smiled at the thought. It was the least she could do anyway. For all the doctors done, it was far less than she deserved.

Yuffie looked out the window, marveling at the different world before her.

'I…I think I'm in Midgar! I must be wrong though, it's was to pretty! Too bad it'll be all disgusting in a few years.'

The city lights reminded her of the stars she used to look at as a child in Wutai. She felt comforted, and peaceful. For once, Yuffie enjoyed the silence.

However, it was hard not to think about how much tragedy could occur within fifty years.

A lot could.

-x-

They pulled up onto a small driveway. The house was small, and not suitable for a small, happy family. The roof was missing some shingles, and the front window appeared to be cracked. The white paint seemed to be peeling off, as well.

'So, Midgar still had it's Slums.'

Miri ran out of the car, and straight to the red threshold. She seemed to have trouble putting the key through the hole.

Yuffie would have laughed, had it been any other person.

The doctor was finally able to jam the key in (Though, in truth, the door looked like it could be flicked down by Yuffie's pinky finger) and she walked into the house, the ninja swiftly following.

"Ana? Where are you?" Miri's voice was quivering again.

A rough looking woman came out. She looked like she experience in battle, and was most likely well-armed now.

"I'm ain't watchin' him anymo', Griffon."

"Why?! He hasn't done anything!"

"Ratha not say. Howeva, I will tell ya this. Ya best watch ya trust." The older woman's eye's flashed to Yuffie, and then, she left.

Just like that.

'That was weird. She didn't ask for Gil or anything.' Yuffie thought.

Miri's small hands were balled up into fists at her sides. She was scared, and angry. Ana's gruff words were still ringing in her ears.

Someone was scaring her babysitters away, she was sure of it. She didn't know why though… 'However, it could be-'

"Is she gone?" A small voice interrupted her thoughts. A small boy with jet black hair stood in the door way to the left of her. His long bangs covering his eyes.

"Yeah, hon. She's gone." He walked up to Miri and hugged her leg.

"Good. I didn't like her."

"I agree, but you shouldn't say things like that about people. It isn't nice." The concern on her face had melted away into a warm, motherly expression.

Her son absent mindedly tugged at the overly large red sweatshirt. ('Hand-me-down?)

"I brought over a new girl. She's really nice. Her name is Effie Cloti. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

He stepped away from his mother, and walked up to Yuffie.

Something kept Yuffie from speaking. An unknown aura filled the air, and caused her heart rate to double.

She got down on one knee, so that she were equal in height with the seven-year-old.

He brought both hands to clear away the thick bangs hiding his eyes.

Unusual scarlet orbs found Yuffie's gray one's.

Her breathing stopped.

'It…it couldn't possibly be…'

"Hello." He outstretched his right hand.

"My name is Vincent Valentine."

-x-

Disclaimer: I do not own, or will ever own (weeps) any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. All OC's however, are mine.

So this is my first crack at a Final Fatasy 7 fic! Wow. I know it's a little confusing, the events that led up to where Yuffie is will be told in Flashbacks.

Also please tell me what you think! Was it too blunt? Too much foreshadowing? Anything wrong, or bad grammer?

Push the blue button!

Go on!

(Expect an update in 14 days)


	2. Happy Times

Yuffie's eyes were locked on Vincent's.

'_It can't be the same one. It's freakin' impossible. Even though he looks like him. And sounds like him, kinda. And the date fits. Holy Hell, it is him! I can't believe he was as cute as a kid!' _

She reached out and took his small hand into her own, and shook it gently. At this, he smiled lightly.

She swallowed hard before breathing.

"Nice to meet ya!" Yuffie said.

"It is nice to meet you as well." His smiled fell from his face, and he let go of her hand. His eyebrows drew close together, and he began to inspect Yuffie.

"You don't _look_ like an Effie. Is it your really your name? I don't… like it."

Miri laughed, again, too loud for her small form.

"That's not nice. You should say sorry. Effie, I'm sorry. He reads all these mystery novels, and seems to think that everyone has a past that needs to be hidden." She looked down at her son affectionately. She seemed proud of her son, in almost every way.

Yuffie almost didn't hear her. Her mind was still processing the fact that Vincent was indeed young once.

"I don't like my name either. But, I guess we will both have to live with it." Yuffie was trying really hard to connect with him, as if he was another person entirely; however she was slowly realizing that he _was _another person entirely.

He seemed to forget the conversation, and turned to his mother.

"Will Ms. Ana come back? I don't want her too."

"No she won't."

He smirked.

"This means that you'll stay home now, right? No more weird people?"

Yuffie bit back laughter.

'_I never thought that Vincent could be such a momma's boy. This is great material for when I get back!'_

She tried not to think about the possibility of never going home. It would just put more weight on this small family.

"I'm sorry, Vince. I have to go to work. You know I would love to stay home with you. You are much more interesting than the people at work. I do promise to bring less 'weird people' here though. Is that ok?"

The doctor brought a hand up to the ring that was dangling from a thin chain around her neck, and tried her best to smile for her son.

"O-Ok…" He tried to hide the great yawn that he just released, but found that it was futile.

"Listen, why don't you show Effie-Chan here your room? I'm sure she'd like that." She glanced at Yuffie, mentally telling her that it was time for the young boy to go to bed.

Vincent nodded once, then grabbed Yuffie's hand and ran up the stairs.

The hallway was narrow, and cramped. Yuffie found the wall's bare of family pictures, and her heart clenched. Yuffie fully remembered what it was like growing up with one parent, and it killed her to think that Vincent had to go through the same thing.

Vincent pointed at the door they were now standing in front of.

"This… is my room."

He opened the door and flicked on the lights.

His room was much like the rest of the house.

'_This is more like a closet. I would hate sleeping here.'_

He walked over to his bed, which was in the corner of his room. By it, was a small stack of books, which were much bigger than Yuffie had the patience to read.

Vincent reached for the one on top, and handed it to Yuffie. He smiled again, inviting her to look through its pages.

"Is this your favorite?" She asked.

For Yuffie, it was hard enough to talk to the older Vincent. What was she supposed to say to this younger one?

It seems that even in his earlier years he preferred to speak only when necessary. However, her hopes were lifted when he nodded… then they were crushed when he frowned. His eyes were filled with confusion. They also told her that he was a little on the nervous side.

"Are… are you going to leave too?" He asked tentatively.

She gave her official Yuffie Kisaragi Smile, and told him:

"No, I'll stay as long as you want, promise."

Seeing her smile triggered something inside Vincent. His eyes lit up, and his hands came up to cover the biggest smile she'd ever seen grace his face.

"Is that… a _smile_ I see, Vincent Valentine?"

He shook his head violently, with his small hands still clamped around his mouth.

Yuffie put her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure it is, you liar."

Again, he shook his head.

"Well whatever was plastered on that cute face of yours, it's still time to go to bed kid."

His hands dropped, and much to Yuffie's disappointment, his smile had faded. He nodded once, and walked to his bed, pulling out a pair of pajamas from under the pillow.

She waited outside the doorway while he changed, and thought about the previous look on his face.

It was so… _happy._

"Ok, I'm ready."

Yuffie pushed her thoughts back into her mind, saving them for later.

She walked back into the room, and watched him crawl into the bed. Yuffie, though feeling extremely awkward, pulled the thin blankets over his small form. It was a surreal feeling, tucking in the young Vincent Valentine.

The thoughts came back, pushing harder than she anticipated.

Had his older self recognized her, would he have been angry with her? It was impossible to tell. Perhaps he already had known, but didn't want to freak her out. (?) Maybe this wasn't supposed to happen, and she was just screwing things up._ 'I should just… leave. This isn't a good idea.'_

However she couldn't stop herself. She wanted to know what happened to him. Know, and see why he was they way he was. He never really talked about the past. Especially to her. _Especially _to _her._

"Comfortable?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you." He smiled gently, and put his head down on the pillow. His black hair fell back into his eyes.

She flicked the lights off, and the bright room went dark.

It wasn't long before soft contented sighs invaded the silence.

The young Valentine had fallen asleep rather quickly. A skill in which he would carry through the years. The difference was, his facial features. The Vincent she knew looked worried, or even scared in his sleep. When he woke up, the usual blank expression would return, which to Yuffie was even worse than crying.

The Vincent before her, the young naïve Vincent, looked innocent and happy. He actually looked happy.

'_What will the world do to you, Vince?'_ It was one of the saddest realizations she had ever had. His smile, in time, would shatter. He would one day become cold, silent, and somewhat afraid of emotions.

He did care for his friends. It was just himself he didn't care for.

True, he had gotten better after the Omega incident. But he still didn't like himself. He still didn't forgive himself, Yuffie could tell. Even after the song and dance he gave to AVALANCHE.

Of course, they didn't know Vincent like Yuffie did. This is why it made her so mad that he never talked to her.

Maybe, this was her chance.

"Sweet, isn't he?" Miri had stolen Yuffie's train of thought. However, that wasn't what concerned her. The doctor actually managed to sneak up on the ninja!

"Uh… yeah. He's a real cutie."

Yuffie looked at Miri, and realized how much she and Vincent looked alike. The same tousled black hair, the quiet smiles that tended to grow into something more, the dangerous look in their eyes when they had gotten angry. Not to mention their grace.

"It's… hard. Taking care of him. I have trained fighters to watch him because… I'm afraid for him."

It was strange how much emotion laced the doctor's hushed whispers. She was reaching for the ring again.

"I think we have to get out of here. It isn't safe for him, and…" It seemed she always paused in the tense moments.

"I think we may be in…"

_'Danger.'_

She didn't need to finish the sentence. It was easy to see. The way she panicked when that coward of a baby sitter quit, the way she looked at her son now.

"I understand." Yuffie said.

She turned to watch Vincent as he slept. Watching him made her forget all the chaos that was going on. She remembered watching Marlene and Denzel falling asleep on the couch one night. This was a different kind of serenity.

This peace, was like the calm before the storm.

'_I've got a baaad feeling about his.'_

-x-

"_Yuffie, this isn't a good idea." Tifa said._

"_Oh, stop worrying. I'm a master material hunter. You of all people should remember that." Yuffie stuck out her tongue out at her friend."_

"_That wasn't hunting. Besides, this is in an old cave. A bunch of rubble, loose rocks, and thousands of tunnels may not be so good for the great clumsy ninja."_

"_Stop treating me like a child!" Yuffie stomped her foot for emphasis. _

"_Besides, I'm not going alone."_

"_You're not? Who else is going with you?"_

"_Vinnie, o' course."_

_Tifa snickered. Yuffie always managed to drag the stoic gunslinger into her wild adventures._

"_Oh, OK. I get it now." Tifa said in a sing-song voice._

"_Huh? What are you talking about, Teef?" How was it, that even though they were talking about her, she was still clueless?_

"_Never mind. Just… be careful, ok?"_

'_I'm the great ninja Yuffie! What could possibly go wrong?"_

_That was when Tifa knew for sure that something would indeed go wrong._

"_What's this legendary material supposed to do anyway?"_

"_Time travel! Isn't that cool?"_

_-x-_

"Effie-Chan, I have a cot made up for you down stairs. I'm sorry that you don't have your own room…"

"No, it's no problem at all. I'm more worried about what you have in you fridge, I am STARVING!" She rubbed her stomach, as if to show the doctor how hungry she was.

"I have some Wutain take-out. I could heat it up, if you'd like. Although, you should probably get to bed. Don't think I haven't forgotten about that head injury of yours."

"Dang. I guess I'll raid your fridge for that take-out tomorrow."

_'So she didn't forget. I really meant it when I said dang.'_

Miri shifted slightly.

"Listen, tomorrow would you watch Vincent? I… really can't afford another… Didn't you say something about being a ninja?" There was a lot of weary hope in her voice. Another trait she possessed that made her seem older than she actually was.

"The _great_ ninja, Effie. I can handle anything!"

"Thank you… so much."

Miri's face went blank.

"Anyway, I've been looking for a better job. Somewhere far, preferably. No one wants to hire a young, female doctor. Except for…" She trailed off. It looked like she had been through a lot of problems as well, but it didn't show through her personality as is did in Vincent's.

It was… kind of amazing. As well as sad.

"Anyway, you should get to bed. It's getting pretty late. In fact, you should have been asleep a long time ago."

For once, Yuffie admitted to herself that she was tired, and did need her sleep. She nodded, and proceeded to drag her feet down to that wonderful cot the doctor had spoken of.

She fell asleep as soon as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She didn't even bother to ask for spare clothes.

-x-

Yuffie woke up, and fell to the floor. Two scarlet eyes faintly glowed above her.

"Vincent Valentine, you scared the sh- bejesus out of me!"

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"Mmph, do you know what time it is?" Yuffie's words were slurred to the point where she sounded drunk.

"It's about two a.m."

She rubbed her eyes, which were still adjusting to the lack of light.

"So… what are you doing up?"

He shifted uncomfortably. He never was one to talk about his problems.

"Nightmare…"

"You had a bad dream?"

Half a nod. They were getting somewhere.

"I was a monster."

Yuffie looked at him sympathetically.

_'That word always bothered him. Even now, I guess.'_

"D'you want me to get your mom?"

"No… she needs her sleep."

Yuffie was at a loss. What did he want? Sure, she was good with kids, but this was Vincent Valentine. Quiet, and a little strange, no matter what age. She had no idea as to what to do.

"If… well… Would it be alright if…" More shifting on his part.

However, Yuffie finally seemed to get what he was trying to say, and it had amused her to no end.

"Would you like to sleep with me?" She couldn't help but put a giant smile on.

"I suppose, if you need the company." He said with a quiet smile in return.

He crawled onto Yuffie's small cot, and hid under the blankets. Moments later, he emerged, and placed his head tentatively on her chest. She was surprised that he trusted her that much. But… it was defiantly a good thing.

"Remember this, Vincent. No matter what, you will never be the monster you claim to be. Trust me, I know."

"Thank you, Yuffie." He said as he drifted to sleep. It never crossed her mind that he had called her by her real name.

-x-

A foreign scent drifted into the living room. It woke the young boy up. After his nightmare the night before, it would be nice to wake up to something pleasant.

He shifted slightly, and realized that he was not in his own bed.

Last night's events came flooding into his mind.

New babysitter. More problems for his mother. That spine tingling dream. How vivid it had been! He hoped to never witness it again. He bounced out off of the tiny cot, and headed towards the kitchen, where that wonderful smell was coming from.

"Hey, Kiddo!" He was greeted by the oddly named girl. He found no reason to respond to her greeting, but politely nodded anyway.

For some reason, he didn't see her as the type who could cook. She handed him a small plate full of…. Checkered bread. (?) He never seen this before.

"What is this?"

"_Waffles?!_ Do not tell me you've never had waffles."

"I… haven't."

She smiled.

"Well, you won't be able to say that anymore. Go ahead, try some!"

He hesitantly tried it, and he was surprised to find that he liked it.

"It's really… good. Thank you, Effie-Nee-San." He smiled, and then continued to devour his breakfast.

Yuffie just sighed. He really was to polite for his age.

The day had passed quickly, however, it was dull and uneventful. He did a lot of reading, and she tried to figure out how to operate the ancient machines in the house. It was amazing how much could be done in fifty years.

Finally, at 9:00 p.m., Yuffie heard the keys jingle from outside, and the sorry excuse of a door open. Miri came in, tired and stressed. However, when Vincent came down the stairs, the mood of… well everything, changed. It seemed brighter. The smile on Miri's face was indescribable, and Vincent…

If Yuffie had seen him like this as an adult, she would have accused him of being a fake.

He was so _happy._ His smile seemed to out-shine everyone's.

Sure, Yuffie had seen of this, when she tucked him in the night before, but this was like the very definition of the emotion happy.

Though their family was small, poor, and were in possible danger, the couldn't be happier.

"Alright honey, you have a half an hour before bed. Anything you want to do?"

Vincent smirked. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

"Ah, you want to play some _CARDS._ You think that wise, boy?" It seemed as if they had done this before. Many times.

Before long, they were sitting at a small table, with cards it hand.

They were, of course, playing poker.

'_As opposed to gold fish, and old maid. You know, regular seven-year-old card games? The games I'm good at?!'_

She looked down at her pitiful hand. She had two threes, a queen, a six, and a nine. Bluffing was not one of her strong suits.

"I fold." She said, pouting. She hated this game.

A contest between mother and son ensued.

"You're bluffing." Miri said to her son.

"You think so?" His composure never broke. It was impossible to tell what either of them had in their hands. It was It was mostly a competition of will, or lack of expression. It was scary how Vincent looked so much older without his smile. She started to think what he would look like with a big smile.

Miri held her gaze for what seemed like ages until finally…

"I fold as well. You win, Vince."

He laid down his cards, and showed that it was no better than Yuffie's.

"He is way too good." Miri muttered.

He smirked, and headed upstairs.

"Yuffie turned to the doctor, who was fiddling with the necklace again.

"How come he has a different last name than you?"

Leave it to Yuffie to be unintentionally BLUNT.

Miri shifted a little (in a very similar fashion to Vincent.).

"… When I was pregnant with him, I was in love with the name Vincent. I was going to name my child that no matter what." She laughed a little.

"When he was born, I remembered his father, and his own scarlet eyes. Suddenly, Vincent Griffon didn't sound right. So… I signed it Vincent Valentine. I think it fits him." Her mind was ages away, and shown with something Yuffie couldn't quite comprehend.

"It does." Yuffie said, half to herself.

"So what happened to Vincent's father? Mr. Valentine…"

The doctor rolled her eyes.

"Grimoire Valentine. I don't know what I se- saw in him. He's like the opposite of my type. He was good looking though, and brilliant. He works for some company now, as the head scientist. ShinRe… ShinRay… something like that."

She sighed heavily.

"He knew he had a son, but was so caught up in work. Though I hated him for it then, I'm glad he did so now. Honestly, what kind of father would he be?"

"I dunno. I never met the guy."

"The most depressive man I ever met. I would rather my son become a happy man."

Yuffie almost started crying at that one phrase.

'What am I supposed to say to that?' Yuffie thought.

It was defiantly a form of torture, getting to know this young woman. She tried so hard, and only wanted that one thing. It wasn't even for her.

'_I wish I could help her wish come true, but that would mean changing the past. But do I have the right to do that? Would it really be for the better?'_

It seemed their were infinite questions, and Yuffie couldn't seem to find any of the answers.

-x-

There you go, the second chapter.

I'm glad That I got nine reviews last time. However, I'm a greedy S.O.B., lets see if we can get more this time.... I hope you liked it. I knwo this chapter was a little dull, I promise it will get better. I am still seventeen, and I know there are things that I've yet to experience. Please be paitient with me!

Love, Sorrelstar


	3. Too Much

FILLER FILLER FILLER! This chapter wasn't originally in my story, but my family thought that this part was too short, so I did my best to write something inbetween. I think it's awful, but you can be the judge of that...

* * *

"Thank you very much, Ms. Griffon. We will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible. I must say, I'm very impressed. You're a lot younger than most of the people I have interviewed."

Miri stood up and shook the hand of her interviewer. She was relieved that the whole thing was over, and frankly, she couldn't wait to get out of there.

"Thank you for your time." She said.

Miri took one last look at the room that she had been fidgeting in for the past twenty minutes. There had been four white walls, no windows or pictures, and a single desk. The man that had sat there and questioned her was a significant amount older. She was a little wary of him at first, especially with the way men regularly treated her. But he was kind, and patient, making it easier for her to relax.

She smiled lightly at him before opening the door. As soon as she saw the hallway bustling with people, she felt happiness bubble within her. Miri was positive that if she got that job, her life would make a 180. She would be happy, and successful just like the people who worked here. Though, the hospital in Cosmo Canyon was supposedly a lot busier. Longer hours and the injury rate was higher there than in Midgar.

It would be o.k. though; she had every bit of faith in that fact. She had always wanted to travel… and she could ask Effie to come with them. She did say she had no where to go. Perhaps she shared the same desire to see the world.

'_I wonder if Vincent would like Cosmo Canyon… I think he would. There is supposed to be an observatory there. I do see him becoming a star gazer one day.'_

She took a deep breath to try and calm her self. After all, she didn't have the job yet. It would be a shame if she had gotten her hopes up, only to find out that she was still stuck in Midgar.

_'Oh Leviathan, please help me get through this!'_ She silently prayed.

But even if she hadn't prayed, Miri felt confidant that things were going to look up.

Realizing she was still standing in the doorway, she felt heat crawl up the back of her neck. She knew that her entire was painted red. Sh waved again, and left the room. She almost slid down the door in embarrassment. Instead, she did the mature thing, and walked as fast as she could out of the building.

She watched the people of Midgar walk on the streets, talking excitedly about one thing or another. Miri would usually roll her eye and ignore them. She tried to ignore their happy faces. It always made her feel worse. But today, she held her head high, and joined them. It felt like joining life itself.

She brought a hand to her neck, and searched for the ring that hung there.

'_I'm going to have to move if I get this job.'_ She thought.

'_That mean's I won't see __**you**__, or 'accidently' run into __**you**__. I would normally criticize another person for doing something so childish, but I'm doing just that. Not letting go. I'm not letting go, but I have too, if I want a better future for Vincent. I don't mind though, not in the least bit.'_

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

And she knew it too.

-x-

Miri arrived home earlier than usual. She had to take the day off because of the interview. (Unfortunately, that meant she lost a day of pay. Her boss was a 'real jerk face' according to Effie.)

In the end, she decided not to tell Vincent the possibility of a new job. He worried about her far too much for a child at his age. He would know how distressed she would feel if she didn't get it. Sometimes, she hated that he was so smart.

She did wonder whether she would tell Effie or not. Probably should… There wasn't much Miri hated more than disappointment.

What if she was wrong about Effie though? What if she didn't want to leave with them? Then where would she go? If she did come, would she ever have a chance of finding her own family?

Not that Miri minded her company. Although it had only been a few days, she had grown fond of the hyper active ninja. Even her shy son had found it hard to hide his smile around the girl. She was quickly becoming a member of their small family. It would be hard for the both Miri and Vincent to say goodbye to her. Especially Vincent.

He never dealt with goodbyes very well.

She pushed these thoughts aside.

Miri saw the way Effie looked at him, and she highly doubted the girl would leave.

Maybe this was supposed to happen. She'd like to think so.

"You put the flour up to high…"

Before Miri put the key in the door, she peeked through the dirty window to see Effie climbing on her cabinets in the kitchen reaching for the flour. Meanwhile, Vincent watched helplessly from the floor.

"I… ugh. Did not put it up too high! I can… (Grr) reach it!"

Miri quietly chuckled to herself. She knew Effie well enough by now to know that this could not end well.

"Be careful!" Vincent Scolded. It wasn't so surprising that he could actually be more mature than her.

"I AM being carful!"

It was amusing though.

"I can… feel it! I almost… got… whoa… Whoa! WHOA!"

Effie waved her arms wildly, trying to catch her balance…

…Only to fall flat on her face.

Then, the contents of the flour bag spilled all over the kitchen floor, as well as Effie.

Vincent also had a face full of flour, looking even paler than he usually did. Two surprised red eyes popped out of the white powder.

Before Miri could laugh, she had to make sure that Effie was .o.k.

She ran back to the front and practically ran it down. She walked past the living room swiftly and turned to go into the kitchen.

Miri soon learned how big a mess a little bag of flour could make.

Effie slowly rose up from her awkward position and looked at her. (There were no visible injuries, thank goodness.)

"Uh… I can explain." She motioned to the mess around her. "Yeah… uh, I'll clean up, too… I guess…" She frowned

"Anyway, listen. Vincent wanted me to make him some waffles-"

"No, I didn't. It was your idea."

"That's what I **said**. Anyway, **I** wanted to make waffles and the flour was too high-"

"Told you so."

"Shuydup."

Miri laughed at the interaction between the two. She had no idea why she thought Effie would leave. There was no way.

"The broom is the closet." She said. At first, Effie seemed to have lost tract in what actually started her small argument with Vincent. Miri had absolutely no idea what the two were yapping about now. Something about a certain some having a 'terrible attitudes'. Guess who suggested that one?

Miri just crossed her arms, and cocked her head.

"A mess can never clean itself. We, or in this case, you need to clean it."

Effie rolled her eyes, and dragged herself out of the room.

Miri looked down at her powdered son.

He sneezed.

"You're home early!" He said happily.

Miri scooped him up, and wiped some of the flour out of his eyes.

"Yes, I am. I did it just so I could see you." She murmured into his hair. (This, in place of the flour was slipping into his eyes.)

"Effie-nee-san bought a magazine today."

"And what magazine is that?"

"The M-Times…" He began to fiddle with a loose string attached to his red sweatshirt. That thing seemed to get longer each time she saw it.

"I can't find the broom!" Effie's voice carried easily through any wall it seemed.

"It's in the _upstairs_ closet, Effie."

The whole house shook as the young girl stomped up the stairs.

That was when she saw it. The M-Times magazine. It lay there on the table, right next to her. Why hadn't she noticed before? The title almost immediately caught her attention: UPRISING COMPANY= UPRISING MAN. Right below the big white bold letters was a picture of Grimoire Valentine.

She put Vincent back down on the floor, and picked up the M-Times.

'He is as cold as ever.' She thought as she affectionately stroked the picture. **He'd** grown facial hair since the last time she saw **him**. Wasn't she the one who told **him he** would look better that way if **he **had? Yes, it wasn't too long ago, either…

"I finally found the-" Miri looked over at Effie, who saw the change in the doctor's mood almost immediately. Her eye's fell to what she was holding. It didn't look like Effie ever meant for her to see it.

"Shit… Miri, I can explain, I-"

Miri just ignored her and flipped to the article. There was another picture of **him**. Instead of a close up on **his** face like on the cover, it was a full view picture of **him** wearing a white lab coat and **he** was holding a beaker up to the light.

She smiled sadly, and closed the magazine.

How _successful_ **he** had become. **He** had discovered a potential replacement for oil, **he** had millions of dollars, and **he** had a beautiful girlfriend…

How lucky **he** was.

She was happy for **him**, she was.

"Mom?"

She never blamed **him** for her problems. She had caused them all on her own, after all.

"Hey doc, are you o.k.?"

So what if **his** life was better without her. They agreed to do this. At least one of them turned out happy, right?

"Miri!"

"What?"

Effie looked at her worriedly.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to see… I just wanted-"

"Don't. I get it. I'm not mad." And she wasn't. Right now she just needed air. Her hand crept up to her neck, and they found the ring that was given to her what seemed like ages ago…

She felt a tug at the bottom of her skirt. Vincent was looking up at her with a concerned look on his young face.

She smiled down at him.

She knew she was wrong earlier when he smiled back.

She was happy, and so was her family.

Today, Miri realized that she thought about things way too much.

* * *

She thinks too much, I think. She worries... and broods... Hm, I have a feeling I have met someone like this before... Anyway, this was kind of important, because we got to see how Miri felt about Grimoire... (Or still feels...)

The next chapter won't take as long because its already written. Two weeks tops, I promise. I hope this filler wasn't toooooooooo bad.

Love, Sorrelstar

(P.s, I got ELEVEN reviews last time! And, I'm in two communities! WHOA! More reviews this time please! Please?)


	4. Broken Promises

_-x-_

_Vincent and Yuffie watched the sky, in hopes to see the airship they had come to know so well. Yuffie was already bouncing off the walls. The only comprehensible words coming out of her mouth had to do with materia, and Vincent wasn't sure if he could take more of this. Why had he agreed to this again?_

_He didn't want to go._

_His torture had already stared after all. Although this was nothing compared to what Cid was going to do him. He would have a ball, knowing that Yuffie managed to drag him on another one of her not-very-well-thought-out plans._

_He always had. Vincent would here about 'Cradle-robbing vampire' this, and 'Why don't you marry that damn brat already?' Let's not forget his personal favorite: 'Everyone seems to know but you.'_

_Maybe if Cid understood that Yuffie was the queen of blackmail, he wouldn't constantly tease him about her._

"_-don't you think so too, Vince?"_

"_Hm?" _

"_I said I know that this one isn't a dud. I know this one will work! I mean, think about it, Vince! What would you cha- I mean… What would you do with…? Wow. Never mind." Her face flushed red, and she fell silent._

'_**What would I change?' **__He knew that's what she wanted to know. What wouldn't he change? But then, he wouldn't be here right now. He would still be a Turk. She might still be alive… (Though he still would never convince himself that it wasn't his fault). He could do so much with this legendary materia. But things… were getting better. It did take him a while to realize this. _

_Though it still hurt to think about the past sometimes, the facts were finally becoming clear. What's done is done._

_He might never be completely over it, but at least he wasn't the 'angst-master vampire' he was five years ago._

_He looked at Yuffie, who was still looking down at her interesting boots._

"_Not much."_

_Yuffie blinked up in surprise. _

"_What, you don't believe in second chances?" _

_He let out a small chuckle. She probably didn't even hear it._

"_Hn. I already had mine."_

_Hopefully she knew that he meant he was content (?).It would still take time, but he was patient. After all, he did wait thirty years for people to find him locked up in a coffin. This would be nothing compared to that._

_For now, all was well._

_-x-_

The phone rang, startling both Vincent and Yuffie. From what Yuffie knew, no one ever called the Griffon household. She looked at Vincent who was sitting on the couch. The book he was reading had dropped to the floor, and his eyes grew wide with disappointment.

Yuffie sighed. This couldn't be good.

"Hello?"

"I'm tired of this fucking game we're playing… It's not fun. Yet." The voice on the other end of the line was gruff. Though, through the low key of it, the man sounded sad. Too bad it wasn't Yuffie's problem.

"Who is this?!"

"You don't know. No one knows me anymore."

He sent shivers down her spine. Then something clicked in the ninja's mind. This was probably the person who was scaring all of Vincent's babysitters away! Now that she knew it was him, there was no way she would let him get away without giving him a piece of her mind.

"You jerk! You're the one who's torturing this family, aren't you? I'll have you know, I'm a ninja. I'll kick your ass in two minutes flat if you ever call this place again!" It was quiet for a moment, and then she heard: "I miss them. My family. I will… avenge them."

The line went dead.

Yuffie didn't know whether to feel relived or scared out of her mind. Was it possible to feel both at the same time?

A small voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Are… are you going to leave now too?" Vincent's scarlet eyes were filled with more emotion then she had ever seen before. That defiantly struck a nerve.

"No. Why would I do that?"

"That's what always happens." His hair conveniently slipped in front of his eyes. "A weird phone call happens, and then they leave. They always do."

She sat down on the couch next to him and put a hand under his chin in an attempt to get him to look her in the eye.

"Now you listen here, Vincent Valentine! I will _not_ leave you. Not everyone in your life is going to do that! Starting with me. I promise."

Then, he did something she'd never thought he would do. He wrapped his small arms around her neck. It was somewhat awkward, but still very sweet. The Vincent she knew would never even look at her and now…

'_Forget that. I don't care anyway.' _

Vincent released her, and looked down again. "Thank you…" Then, he headed back up the stairs.

Yuffie stretched out on the couch, and looked at the ceiling. What now? It seemed that the rest of Vince's day was ruined by one call. Not that she blamed him. That guy was a total creep.

'_What did that guy mean? Avenging his family? I'm positive that Miri hasn't done any thing horrible to anybody. So why would this guy want to torture her? Ugh, I don't get it at all.' _

Vincent and his family would be protected. She'd make sure of that. Besides, no one crank calls a ninja and gets away with it. Especially one with a reputation of giving such calls. _('Barret almost killed me once because of that. Gawd, can't people take a joke anymore?')_

The phone suddenly rang again.

Yuffie saw through the corner of her eye that Vincent was watching her from the staircase. He still didn't fully believe that she was going to stay after all. Time to prove him wrong.

She picked up the phone and practically snarled.

"WHAT?"

She heard a giggle from the other end. It probably wasn't the same person.

"Am I in trouble?" O.K., it defiantly wasn't the same person. It was Miri.

"No. Sorry it's just that you got this really weird call and-"

"Never mind that! I got the job!" Her voice was free of the stress that Yuffie heard not too long ago. She quickly forgot all about the previous call that she received.

"Really? No way!" Miri recently told Yuffie all about the opportunity that was presented to her. Yuffie was more than happy to agree to move. She hated Midgar too. Wait until she told Vincent! He would be so happy to know that his mother was happy. He was like that.

"Yes, I know! They called me here at the hospital. You have no idea how badly I wanted to leave here and never come back. However, I gave my two weeks notice instead. I wouldn't want Cosmo Canyon to reconsider. Anyway, I was wondering if you pick up some flour. Since you spilled it yesterday. That was my last bag. I feel like we need a homemade cake to celebrate."

It was hard to keep up with Miri's speed talking. It was pretty funny. She usually talked a lot slower.

"Ok… I'm, sure the store would love to _donate_ some for the cau-"

"There is money in my bedside table. There is no need for 'donations'." Oops. Looks like Miri found about Yuffie's hobby.

"Alright, I'll take Vince too. Looks like he needs some sun. He is waaaay too pale." Miri agreed, and they both hung up.

Yuffie twirled, and faced the stairs.

"Hey, Vince! We're going to the store to pick up some flour. You're mom is going to make us cake!"

His face went from ecstatic to disgust in about two seconds flat.

"What's wrong?" For some reason, she was insulted.

"Mom can't cook. Everything she makes tastes awful."

Now that Yuffie thought about, all she ate this week was take-out. And Waffles. '_I tasted what Future-Vincent once. Maybe this whole horrible cooking thing runs in the family.'_

-X-

Right after they bought the flour, they boarded the bus. Yuffie was just starting to notice that Vincent was getting antsy. He would fidget, and squirm on Perhaps the traffic jam was too much. He was only seven, after all.

"Something wrong, Vince?" Yuffie was starting to worry seeing him like that.

"I… I just want to get home soon. Something… feels off… like I should be there." He bit his lip. "I don't like it."

Yuffie brushed the thick hair out of his eyes, trying to comfort him.

"Your mom is going to be just fine. I can promise you that."

He nodded, but he still didn't believe her.

-x-

Miri arrived home before the major traffic jam. She was starting to become a little impatient waiting for her family to come back, but she was pretty happy other than that.

Just two more weeks, and they were out of here! Everything was going to be perfect. Well, almost perfect. Miri would still miss _him_. Though, she knew that she was still young. Moving meant she could wipe her slate clean. She could always start with him.

She walked into the kitchen, deciding that she needed to do something instead of just sitting there. Besides, it's not an actual law that cake required flour right?

Just as she put her hand on the refrigerator she heard a banging at the door. Huh, she thought she unlocked it. Oh well. Looks like the flourless cake could wait.

This day really couldn't get better.

-x-

Yuffie banged on the door once again. Vincent watched closely. He had gotten increasingly worried over the course of the hour it took to get back, and watching Yuffie struggle to get Miri's attention didn't help.

Yuffie looked down at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Not to worry, Vince! I am a ninja. A place like this is no problem to break into. For me. No one else." She walked behind the house, remembering that there was a window she could get through to the kitchen. She put the flour down on the ground and carefully pried the window open. She hoisted Vincent up into the house first. Then, she jumped through herself, landing gracefully on her feet.

It felt a little to quiet for Yuffie. She tried her best to hide this fact from Vincent, who started to walk towards the living room entrance.

"Vince," She whispered. "Get behind me. We… are going to play spies. Ok?" He narrowed his eyes, but obeyed. Yuffie felt a tug at the bottom of her shirt and realized it was Vincent holding on.

She tried very hard not to make a noise. She trusted her instincts, and unfortunately they were telling her that Miri was in trouble. With each step, her heart pounded against her chest harder. She peered through the doorway, looking for any signs of the beloved woman. Nothing. She turned right and headed towards the front door. Suddenly, she heard a sickening click from behind her.

"Turn around slowly."

Yuffie took a deep breath, turned around, and forced Vincent behind her yet again.

Standing right by the stair case was a man holding Miri. He was tall, and he had scars everywhere. To Yuffie, he looked like a product of Hojo's old experiments. He held Miri's tiny hands in one of his rough ones, and the other held a gun to her throat.

"Mom!"

Vincent tried to run up to her, but Yuffie quickly pushed him back. This wasn't going to be easy. She had to hold Vincent back, save Miri, and make sure this creep never set foot on their property again.

"What do you want?" She had to keep him distracted while she conducted a plan.

He narrowed his merciless eyes. "I want to avenge my family"

'_Obvious answer, we spoke earlier you dimwit!' _

"Why? On this family, you would be wasting your time. They've done nothing." _'Bad guys are supposed to ramble on about these things! Gawd, what an idiot!'_

"They haven't. But her husband, Grimoire Valentine has." He placed the cruel weapon against her pulse and chuckled darkly. "He experimented on me and my family, done as he pleased with us. I was the only one fortunate enough to get away. It's only fair that I get to do whatever I want to his own family."

Yuffie widened her eyes. The doctor was married? She figured she loved the asshole, but married?! Wasn't Hojo the only one who experimented on humans in Shin-Ra? Yuffie looked at the doctor, but she looked away. Yuffie realized that she blamed herself for everything that was happening.

Vincent struggled to get past Yuffie once again, this time with more force.

'_What do I do?_'She spotted a vase on a little table next to her and a plan started forming in her mind. She needed a goddamn distraction!

"Why don't you hand that little boy to me? I'll take good care of him…"

"Over my dead body." Yuffie snarled.

"Or hers." He pressed the cruel weapon against her pulse.

'_What do I do? What do I do? WHAT do __**I DO**__?_

_-_

Miri was trying to signal them, tell them that they needed to leave. _'Please run!' _She thought.

If she could only distract the man, bring his attention to her instead of her family, and then they could escape. That's when she noticed that his grip on her was weakening. Bantering with Effie was doing the opposite of what she wanted, but at least it gave her an idea.

She put all her strength into her arms and ripped them out of his hand. She tried to run towards them, tell them to run before it something bad happened. But it was too late.

Effie and Vincent were looking at her in horror. She felt confused. Why wouldn't they run? Why were they just standing there? She felt a warm liquid run down her shirt. She reached down and touched her stomach.

Oh, blood. She had gotten herself shot in the worst place she possibly could. Twice. Huh. For some reason, she was at peace. She had gotten what she wanted that day, she had her family there. She could rest now.

Time seemed to slow down as she fell to the floor.

'_Grow up happy, Vincent.'_

-

"_No!"_ Vincent screamed.

Yuffie watched helplessly as the person she came to know and love drop. Vincent ran to her side and held her hand. He kept telling her to stay, that he needed her.

'_This wasn't how it was supposed to be!'_

The man quickly reloaded and was now aiming at Vincent.

Yuffie quickly picked up the vase and threw it at his head, trying to knock him out. He landed on his back, and the gun was now in the air. Yuffie raced forwards, and grabbed it before it could fall to the ground and cause more trouble. She saw the man try to get up off the ground. Now it was time to improvise. She ran up the stairs, jumped over the rail and landed purposely on his right arm. She swung her leg to the other side of his body and pointed the gun at his head.

All she wanted to do at this point was to pull the trigger. He ruined everything. He put Miri in the state she was in now; he probably traumatized Vincent, and ruined the day where things would change for the better. He deserved to die. He did. But Yuffie remembered the times when her mother was killed. She hated that the person who killed her didn't think about her, or her father.

'_Pull the trigger!'_ Her mind screamed.

Looking down at this person, she felt all sorts of emotions. The look in his eyes now was begging her to kill him. All he wanted was death. All those times he had frightened Miri and Vincent, was just a way to rid the pain he felt. Though he had no right to do it, and although she hated him, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. She placed the gun between her belt and shorts, securing it. Then, she balled up her fists and punched him so hard that her hand almost broke. This time, he became unconscious.

She walked over to Miri and Vincent. Tears welled up in her eyes as Vincent continued to cradle her hand in his lap, begging her softly not to leave.

Miri was so pale. She looked more like the Future-Vincent than she would ever know.

"I love you," She croaked out. Yuffie didn't know whether the doctor knew that tears were falling from her own eyes. Vincent wiped them away gently, and nodded sadly. He was shaking so badly. Yuffie noticed that his hair was in his eyes again.

"I love you, too."

Her face was now free of any pain. She sighed, and the green lights of the lifestream wrapped around her limp form, taking her away from the world forever.

Yuffie tried to stop crying, but her own tears wouldn't stop coming. Vincent would need someone strong right now, and she couldn't even do that. She was usually the one who cracked jokes to make people feel better. However, nothing could make either of them laugh right now, and she knew it.

Well, she had to do something.

"Vince, we should call the-"

"Everything… if only… if I hadn't been born… then… she would still be here. She would be happy… I can't… my fault… I couldn't… Grimoire did this… no one left…" He couldn't form a sentence, but Yuffie knew that he too, blamed himself for everything that just happened.

"Vince…" He needed her right now, needed comfort. "It isn't your fault… we need to… we need to take care of this now because…"

He just kept shaking his head. He wasn't going to listen. It scared Yuffie that she could see her own Vincent sitting there on the floor doing the same.

Neither of them noticed that the room began to glow red and blue.

It seemed the neighbors heard everything.

-

"Ma'am, we're going to have to take him."

"What?! You can't do that! He needs me!"

The police were now investigating the whole thing. They questioned both Yuffie and Vincent. This was the last thing these two wanted to talk about, and now the stupid social workers were going to take him away too?

'_I don't think so!'_

"I'm sorry, but you have no relation to him at all. And if what you said was true, that young lady was married. The custody automatically goes to Grimoire Valentine."

Vincent's face was full of alarm.

"No! I don't want to live with him! I want to stay with Effie!"

At least the social worker had the grace to look sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. Now, why don't you go get your stuff?"

Vincent bowed his head in defeat, and slowly headed up the stairs. His eyes landed on a spot where only moments ago, his mother was alive.

"Ma'am, you also have to come downtown with us. You need to answer some more questions." This was probably due to the fact that she had the gun on her when they walked in. Assholes.

"Can I at least say goodbye to him? Or is my alibi so unbelievable that I can't even look at him?"

The social worker sighed.

"Two minutes."

She ran upstairs and into Vincent's bedroom. He had gathered little to nothing, he was too lost in his thoughts to continue.

"Vincent!" She grabbed onto his shoulders. "Vincent, I won't leave you! I'll fight for you, I promise."

Little hope seeped into those dark red eyes. They reminded her of too many things at the moment, but she couldn't look away.

"**I won't leave you**." She put emphasis on every word, hoping it would get through his thick skull.

'_Fuck the time line! He needs someone, now!'_

He hugged her again, spilling his emotions onto her shoulders. His open tears were not something she was entirely prepared for, but she held onto him anyway, trying to heal a wound that just wouldn't heal. A wound that might never heal.

"I need to go tell those people downstairs this ok? I'm sure that they'll understand that it's best for you. I will come back, ok? The only reason I wouldn't come back would be that something held me back. NOTHING can hold me back, ok?"

He reluctantly let her go, and nodded the last of his tears away. At that moment, she desperately wished she would never see him like that again. Right now, she was holding back her own tears, but she needed to be strong for him. She swiftly left the room and headed towards the staircase. Those losers would not take him away. He would not be alone.

-

As soon as she placed her foot on the first step, everything started to fade into the white. The white consumed everything around her, taking her with it.

For a while, white was all she could see. Maybe the social worker shot her. She almost laughed at the irony.

She turned around and saw it. The time-travel materia.

She blinked absently. Why was it here? It couldn't be that she was going home, now of all times? No, that couldn't be it!

It grew brighter to the point where Yuffie had to cover her eyes. When she opened them, the white had already started to fade. She was no longer at the house. She was in the central part of Kalm. She wasn't home. The dreaded materia had put her in another place in time.

She started to panic.

"No! Vincent! Vincent, Vincent, Vincent!" She sank to her knees and pounded the ground with her fist.

"Damn it!"

'_He needed me. I told him I would stay. I promised I wouldn't leave. Now I've lost him, and I don't know when in the hell I am! Leviathan, why couldn't I have stayed at least a little bit longer? Just a little bit longer?'_

The materia had disappeared. This was going to drive her insane. How would she go home? Or at least go back to help Vincent? Would that damnable materia just make her go wherever it wanted?

She got up and looked at sky. She put her hands into her pocket. There was still change from the flour she bought. Just enough for one night at a cruddy inn. Or, she could go to the bar and get drunk.

Getting drunk sounded a lot more promising at the moment.

-x-

Sorry for the angst guys. I know that you wanted a happy ending for their little family, but that's just not how the story goes. I thank you for all your reviews! They mean so much to me. (Although I only got eight this time. C'mon people! I'd like at least ten! Just kidding. But! If I do manage to get ten reviews this week, I'll update a week earlier. *wink wink, nudge nudge*)

Oh! And sorry that I didn't reply to your reviews. I was grounded. Ha-ha. Anyway, tomorrows my last day of school. So I might be able to write more! Though, maybe not. I get my inspiration in school.

By the way, that was my first time writing a semi-action/ serious angst. Was it ok? I'm usually a comedian.

See you next time!

Love,

Sorrelstar


	5. Hate the New Guy

I never did a Disclaimer, did I? I DO NOT OWN FF7, OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS. I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THE OCS AND THE PLOT.

* * *

Yuffie watched the foam of her drink form. It was the most expensive, hardest alcohol they had. Since she couldn't really hold her drinks very well, this would probably get her so drunk, she wouldn't remember the past week. Just like she wanted. To her dismay, she found it sour, and couldn't force the liquid down her throat.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to that place in time.

The place she saw Miri drop.

The place Vincent broke down.

The place she failed to protect those she loved.

Gawds, now she was starting to _sound_ like him!

She placed her head down on the table. Could he forgive her? Leaving him behind… She certainly wouldn't forgive someone had they done that to her. Then again, knowing him, he probably just dumped the blame on himself. Even at such a young age, he tended to do that.

Yuffie sighed.

There wasn't much money left over… Really, what had she been thinking?

'_Oi, I can't believe this. It would be ok, if I had my camping equipment, but I have absolutely nothing on me!' _

She imagined what Miri would have told her, if she found her like this. She would probably scold her, and find her somewhere to stay. Always seemed to worry about others before herself, it seemed.

Yuffie's eyes started to fill with tears again. She absolutely hated crying in public. Plus, she was tired of crying. She needed to do something… anything to take the pain away.

She put down what was left of her money, and walked over to the bar's bulletin board.

One of the papers caught her eye. She tore it off the wall, and read it to herself.

**WANTED!**

**A SKILLED FIGHTER ABLE TO WITHSTAND HARSH CLIMATES AND A TASTE FOR EXCITEMENT!! MATERIA KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE HELPFUL TOO. BIG PAY!! MEET AT THE BAR ON FRIDAY AT 8:00 AM SHARP! **

**SIGNED,**

**E.K.**

No matter how bad she felt at the moment, Yuffie had to laugh. Just from reading the note with little-to-no information, Yuffie could tell that this person was a materia hunter. And an amateur at that. But, it was something to do. Though it would help if she knew what day it was. What happened if this was old? No… it looked to new.

She folded the paper carefully, and put it in her pocket. Now, to find out what to do next. She headed outside, leaving the dark bar and the wasted money behind her.

She wandered around aimlessly, not really enjoying the sun that seemed to assure the rest of the world that it was a good day.

Yuffie then found a big fountain decorating the middle of the town. Yuffie sat down on the ledge and watched the clouds pass by.

'_I wasted an hour, probably. Why is time now, of all times, moving so slow? I just want to make time move faster, and forget everything, seeing how nothing else will do it. Though, those images are probably scarred into my mind. '_

She stiffened. She was _thinking_ like him now!

'_No! As much as I love Vinnie. (FriendjustasafriendTHATSIT) I won't be like him!' _She turned around, and splashed some of the fountain's water on her face. Renewing her confidence she stood up and pointed to the sky.

"I won't lose!"

"That was dirty water, you know."

Yuffie almost fell over. Her ninja skills must be getting rusty. It's been getting more and more often that someone could sneak up on her. She turned around, and almost fell over _again. _She was looking at an angel.

The man in front of her must be an angel. He was too beautiful not to be an angel. He was at least a head and a half taller than her. He also had thick brown curls that framed his heart shaped face and complimented his moss green eyes. On top of that, his white coat almost seemed to shine in the sunlight. Silence: 1, Yuffie: 0.

"Z... I… Huh?" She sputtered.

He chuckled, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I said that's dirty water. You're better off just buying some. Trust me."

Yuffie, still in a daze, pulled out her pockets to show him that she was broke.

"Well, I could buy you some, if you want."

Yuffie finally snapped out of her day dreams, and snorted. Some angel.

"Are you looking for a one night stand or something, mister? 'Cuz I don't do that kind of thing! I know all about those antics; they don't work on me!"

He just smirked.

"I'm a one-girl-at-a-time kinda guy, ya know?" He sat down on the fountain's ledge, where Yuffie sat before. He patted the spot next to him, hinting to Yuffie that he wanted her to sit down next to him.

She refused.

"So then, what?"

'_What is this guy thinking? I've only known him for five seconds, and he is already infuriating!'_

"I help people. That's what I do. You, my friend, look like you need help."

Yuffie blinked. This scenario seemed oddly familiar. Oh, wait. Last time she woke up, Miri was there to help her. Miri… Yuffie bit her lip. She was not going to cry… she was _not_ going to cry…

His lifted a single eyebrow.

"Uh… So, what's your name?"

"Yuffie Kisaragi: Single White Rose of Wutai! And don't you forget it!" She blurted out without thinking. It took all her strength not to clap her hands over her mouth.

"Kisaragi? Isn't that the royal family there?" He asked accusingly.

'_Shit! Don't tell me that this guy is actually smart! That's the last thing I need!'_

She tried not to give her mistake away.

"Uh… No."

She didn't really succeed.

"Huh. I guess I would have heard of you, wouldn't I?" He folded his hands and placed them in his lap. Unfortunately for Yuffie, he _was_ very smart. And it didn't seem like he was going to let this go easily.

"No… Wutai is a small country after all, I mean-"

"No, not that small. And you do look familiar. I'm… very worldly, ya know?"He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His smirk disappeared, with a serene expression in its place.

'_I'm talking to a weirdo, aren't I?'_

His eyes snapped open all of a sudden, and he just gawked at her.

"You…" He began. "You're not from here, are ya?"

Yuffie almost died.

"No, I'm from Wutai…"

He sighed. So she was the stubborn type, huh?

"No, I mean, you're not from this _time_, are ya?"

-x-

Somehow, she managed to get him out of the public eye, first. Yuffie knew that from the beginning this guy would be trouble. Just the way he was looking at her now told her that he was a lot like her. This meant he wouldn't back down.

Currently, the duo was sitting in a practically empty coffee shop.

He was just staring at her now. It was a damn good thing he was good lookin'!

"So…" She began.

He nodded, pushing for her to go on.

"Can I at least know your name? It's driving me insane not knowing when you can take one look at me, and know half of my story!"

He laughed again. It, of course, irritated Yuffie. He laughed way too often for her liking.

"I'm Atlas. Atlas Key."

'_I kind of expected him to say something else. I don't know, he looks kind of familiar. And this whole materia time travel thing wouldn't surprise me if I kept meeting OTHER people I shouldn't. Gawd.'_

"So Yuffie, what happened? Don't try lie. I'm… a pretty good lie detector." Atlas smiled smugly, and gestured for her to continue.

"Where should I start…?"

And so, Yuffie told a near perfect stranger everything. About the Materia. About Miri, and how she died. And most importantly, about Vincent. Through out some parts of her long story, she would get chocked up, and Atlas would wordlessly hand her a tissue.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't interrupt her once. He sat there calmly, drinking his tea that he had ordered earlier. Once in a while, he would nod his head, to reassure that he was indeed listening.

When she was finished, she took a deep breath and looked down at the table. If someone else had told her this story, she would have thought them to be some sort of crazy person.

'_And I don't blame one bit. I still hope this is still some kinda dream.'_

Atlas sighed and chugged the rest of his tea down. (It was the first time Yuffie saw someone do that.) His green eyes pierced through her skull. It was then Yuffie knew that this was just the beginning of her problems with this guy. Isn't that great?

"So… this is a coincidence. I think? No…"

Yuffie nearly fell over in her seat. He was ignoring her now, of all times!

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

He breathed in deeply. Maybe boring wasn't so overrated.

"I also… know Vincent. He lives over at my place. Along with… other people, ya know?" He laughed a little bit at the last thing he said.

Yuffie swallowed. This definitely scored a perfect '10' on her weird scale. Atlas knew him? Did that mean she could see him now? Or at least, soon? Did he… remember her? Yuffie didn't remember much from when she was seven. If he did remember her, did her forgive her for leaving him?

She looked up at Atlas with hopeful eyes. However, he was too busy swimming in his own thoughts.

'_I definitely would have felt something if the time flow was off… But the planet seems to be almost in 100% shape. Is it just coincidence? No… I don't think so at all. Not in this situation. The materia needed her here for some reason… It must have to do with Vincent, but what? Would it be too risky bringing her back to my place? What the family will think of her, I wonder.' _

"Atlas!"

He snapped back to the real world. Yuffie had an evil look on her face. She really DID look familiar. He couldn't place the name though…

"Listen, I want a secret for a secret before I go and head to your place."

He felt like smacking his forehead. She had already invited herself over to his place… Though in truth, he knew it was probably impossible to stop her from running into Vincent. He also considered her trade. It did seem fair. She had told him everything she had gone through… He supposed that she deserved a little secret. It could also be taken as a warning though. Oh well.

"All right." He said. This could actually be fun. "I'm wanted."

"Har, har."

'_Gawds, this guy is so full of himself. How did I end up following this loser around?'_

"No…" He laughed again.

"I'm wanted for kidnapping the Shin-Ra Manufacturing Head-O-Science Department's son. A.K.A: Your buddy, Vincent Valentine."

* * *

Oh. My. Gawd. I am SO sorry I didn't upload a week early, like I promised!! I just... Well this chapter I have re-written a thousand times over, and could never seem to get it to par. I'm still not very happy with the results though. Maybe you guys could tell me differently? *Nudge, nudge*  
Also, sorry that it's so short. I felt that I needed to end it HERE. You'll get to meet Vince next time. Also! I hope you like my second favorite OC character, Atlas Key. I love guys how are smug AND smart.

On the side note, did anyone think DoC wasn't that bad? I just replayed, and still liked it. People under-rated it, I think.

This time, I promise, that if I get 10 reviews by next week, I'll update that very week.


	6. Attitude Problem

Yuffie's mouth dropped open. Was he _serious_? Did he want to die, right here, right now? However, Atlas' face was as serene as ever.

"If you laid a single hand on him I swear to Leviathan that I-"　

"Calm down." He reached across the table and grabbed her untouched tea.

"Just because I'm accused of something doesn't mean it's actually true." He sipped the tea, only to find that it already had gotten cold. Gross.

Yuffie clenched her hands. This guy was the most frustrating person she had ever met. I took every ounce of strength that she had to NOT strangle him.

"Then why are you wanted for it?"

He looked around, checking to see if there was anyone listening. There was only one guy in the corner. It should be safe.

"He ran away. Now I'm taking care of him." He shook his head. He hated the look in his comrade's eyes when he first found him.

It didn't look like that would satisfy Yuffie's curiosity. It looked like he was going to have to explain himself further. He took a deep breath. He really hated telling this story.

"When I was twenty, I was going out. Exploring the world, ya know? One place of interest ta me was Midgar. A whole bunch people were all talkin' about some new company. Shin-Ra. Even then it sounded stupid, ya know?"

He half-expected her to interrupt him. It didn't look like she was going to stop him though.

"When I arrived, I knew immediately that the city was sick. I nearly cried just being there. Life was slipping away, and no one seemed to notice. The flowers, plants, even the smallest bugs were migrating to somewhere cleaner. Slowly, but surely."

He saw from the look in her eyes that the future wasn't any better.

'_Damn.'_

"And it was all thanks to Grimoire Valentine. What a hero." Yuffie scoffed. She had known for a long time that that man was no hero.

"I also needed ta check him out for… personal reasons. Some new things he was starting to research were things that I didn't want Shin-Ra to have any influence in."

She looked confused by his last statement. Obviously she wasn't too aware of what he was exactly. She would eventually find out though. Hopefully that will go better than his last confession…

"Anyway, while I was looking for some information, I ran into some kid out on the street. Looked real scared, ya know? I could tell he had lotsa determination though. And just tell by lookin' at him, that I needed ta help him. So I went up to him. The stupid kid just thinks I want ta fight him. Gets all prepared to take me down. I was lucky enough ta calm him down a bit and get him ta tell me what happened. I seem ta have that kinda affect on people." He winked at Yuffie.

"Didn't take me to long ta figure who he was, and who his father was. Turns out, since the day he moved in with the man, he blamed Vince for _everything_. Including the death of his mother. Being as young as he was, he believed every word of it. Grimoire continued verbally abused the kid for a long time, ya know? It was just startin' to get physical when I met him…" His fingernails dug into his palms. His old city accent was starting to show in his voice. That really only came up when he was truly disturbed with something.

"I was the last person he was seen with. People went crazy lookin' for Vince, but because I have something that they don't have, it'll be impossible for them to find us. Anyway, for years, me and my family have been constantly movin', always runin'. When Vince turns 18, he can live on his own, and probably vouch for me in court should it come to that."

"And… when will he turn eighteen?"

"About… a week?"

Yuffie obviously didn't expect that. Her face had said it all. He laughed lightly, and sipped the tea again. He forgotten it was cold.

"Thanks to Vince, I discovered my purpose in life: helping people. Now if he could just stop beating himself up…" He unclenched his fist and looked at his pale skin, now decorated with red indents. He was brought back to the planet by the sound of soft cries.

Yuffie was crying silently. Looked like she partly blamed herself for the situations Vincent found himself in. He really hadn't expected that. Well, he knew one thing that would cheer her up.

"Would you like to see him now?" He asked lightly.

Her expression completely changed, and she started to nod vigorously.

Of course she wanted to see him. He just didn't know if she was going to LIKE what she was going to see.

-x-

He took the newly lit cigarette out of his mouth, and blew smoke into the air. It always tasted great after some food. And even better when Atlas wasn't around to bust him. Of course, he did have to be careful because of the two tattle-tales were never far from him. It has been a _long_ time since he was able to actually enjoy one.

Vincent had no idea how long Atlas would be grocery shopping this time. Knowing him, he probably found some excuse not to get the food and buy something ridiculous. Oh well. At least he was gone for n-

"I'm home, family!"

He sighed. It looked like luck was never going to be on his side. He flicked the butt out the window, and prayed silently to Leviathan that Atlas would magically lose his sense of smell.

"Everyone, come here! I picked up a stray on the way home!"

Another one? Well, he supposed it had been a while since someone else came to live with them. He vaguely wondered how Atlas could afford all the people in their big family.

He dragged his feet into the living room, where everyone else would soon be standing.

Atlas stood proudly (without any grocery bags, of course) next to a young woman. She wasn't too much older than he was, she realized.

It… bothered Vincent just looking at her. It was like he met her before. Even the clothes looked familiar. For a moment, he considered one of his father's old friends who watched him while he was younger. But she was way too young. Something didn't match up… Then again, he could be over thinking, which is what he is frequently accused of. Still… it was kind of eerie.

Suddenly, he heard what could be described as thunder. The other two girls that he lived with came down the bright orange hallway and all gathered around Atlas. One of them, Angelique, wrapped her arms around his neck and held him like she hadn't seen in ages instead of two hours. When Atlas had brought her in, she had lost everything including family, money, and her home. Atlas helped her through a lot, and seemed to be _especially_ nice to her. It wasn't long before the two fell in love. Although Vincent was happy for his friend, he couldn't stand to watch them.

"Ok, everybody. This is Rose White. She is going to be staying with us for a while, so be nice." That one was directed towards him, he knew. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was not an easy battle.

"Rose?"

'_She doesn't really look like a Rose…' _He thought.

"This is my family. This here," He wrapped his arm around Angelique. "…Is my Angel. I found her in a situation similar to hers… And that little cutie is my youngest sister, Ifalna." Ifalna had the same curly chestnut hair, and green eyes. Yet, they both had a face that could be defined as unique in their own way.

"And last, but certainly not least: Vincent. My first customer and my best… Is that… smoke?"

Uh oh.

"Vince…" Atlas said warningly, all traces of pride: gone.

"You promised that you would quit. You _know_ that it's bad for the _planet_!"

This time, he couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Truth be told, he wasn't really in the mood for this speech. He'd heard it enough this week and really, he had it memorized. He had the facts. Atlas just didn't get that it was his personal escape, and that he wasn't really worried about the planet. Not like the Key family was.

"Look, I'll let you off the hook today but only cuz he have a new guest. But please at least try quitting? I don't want you ta hide anything from me anymore."

"Alright." Mentally, Vincent knew that he was right. However, he wasn't really going to try to quit. Not yet, at least.

"Well, I have to go grocery shopping to do, you guys. Why don't you get to know Y-Rose a little more?"

He left leaving poor Rose behind.

Of course the girls were excited to have a new face in the house. They surrounded quickly, asking her ridiculous girly questions. But she didn't answer. It didn't even look like she paying attention. To his surprise, she just brushed them off, and came towards him. Honestly, he would be more comfortable if she got to know the girls. Getting attached was a dangerous thing. Almost no one who came through Atlas' door was permanent. Even he wasn't there forever.

"Um…" She rubbed the back of her head, and kept her eyes downcast. What could she possibly so nervous about? Was it his eyes? The unnatural color wasn't really something he thought would make people that way, but it's happened before… However, she surprised him even more when she smiled up at him. Wasn't she shy a moment ago? He didn't think that he would ever understand the other gender.

"I'm Rose! It's nice to meet ya Vinnie!"

She stuck out her hand. Now this was definitely something he had seen before. But he let it go for the moment, and shook her hand in return.

"Nice to meet you to…?" It came out sounding more like a question than anything else. He was never really good at introductions.

"So where do I sleep?"

He didn't really know why, but he smiled. On the inside, anyway.

-x-

"Yeah, I think someone took you up on your offer. They took your paper, if that's what you mean." The bartender said.

Elsa couldn't believe it! Finally, someone fell for her trick. Now she would have them find the materia that was supposed to be hidden in that materia cave. Then, take the prize all for herself!

Even though she planted those notes EVERYWHERE, it seemed that she only got one response instead of the hundreds she thought she was going to get. But whatever. Soon, she would become the best materia hunter in the entire world! It was just a matter of time.

-x-

There! A week early, just like I promised. Phew, I didn't think that I was going to make it. Anyway, I know what you all might be thinking. 'Vincent doesn't smoke, thats Cid's thing!' Well, think of it this way. He's 17. A teenage boy. We all did stupid things as a teenager, including Vinnie. I can't believe no one guessed that he would be a teenager. Oh well, at least I know I'm doing a good job keeping everyone in suspence. Do you know what Atlas is yet? Did you know I planned on him having TWO younger sisters? Haha. That would have meant four new characters. And thats ridiculous. I bet you guys forgot all about the note Yuffie picked up. Well, I try not to put in insignificant things in my story. (Unless its humorous.) Elsa is going to be important. Try and guess who she is.

Anyway, I'm going on Vacation next week, so the earliest I can update is in two weeks. I'll try and make that chapter extra long, ok?

Love,

Sorrelstar

(P.s. It's 4:30 am. I gotta stop doing that. Ahaha)


	7. Forgotten Wisdom

_Oh, how she hated airships. Well, that wasn't completly true. She hated the fact that airships, or anything that moved faster than her own legs, gave her motion sickness. And not the mild 'bleh, this sucks' kind, but the 'omigawds, I wanna DIE' kind. _

_And the fact that Cid was smoking like a chimney wasn't helping either. Those damned things never failed to give her a headache._

_She stumbled through the aircraft, despratly trying to reach the deck before she exploded. Fresh air always seemed to do her some good when she had gotten sick._

_Yuffie burst through the door, meeting not only the blue sky, but a waving red cloak. _

_'Vinnie beat me to the punch. How I am supposed to puke in peace?' She thought._

_She wobbled over to the railing and plopped down, letting her feet dangle off the edge of the ship. _

_She looked up at her friend, and as usual, he was deep in thought._

_One thing that has always bothered her, was that she still couldn't read his expression very well. Of course she was much better than she used to be. However, one day she hoped to able to read him like a book, fowards and backwards. _

_Then, maybe she could get it through his thick skull that brooding wasn't going to solve everything and work towards a better future. ( He DID have plenty of time. He was immortal, after all.)_

_But for right now, silence seemed to be the remedy for anything._

_Even motion sickness._

-x-

"God _damnit_!"

Yuffie jumped slightly as Atlas slammed the door on his way in. However, it wasn't the loud noise that caught her by surprise. It was the fact that he seemed so angry. Anger wasn't something that suited Atlas. He was the type to forever have a smile on his face.

Not anger, never anger.

It turned out that she wasn't the only one who was surprised. Vincent stood up so quickly, he almost knocked down the coffee table.

'_This os one of the few times he has openly shown emotion...' _Yuffie thought off handedly.

Though it didn't seem possible at first, teenage Vincent had fewer words than the older, brooding Vincent she knew. That wasn't the surprising part, though. He smiled even less. Perhaps it was a teenage thing?

Yuffie shook her head, and returned to the present. Vincent didn't need any immediate help: Atlas did.

Unfortunatly, Yuffie had no idea HOW to cheer him up. It was usually him who did those kinds of things.

Angelique and Ifalna ran in just in time to see Atlas throw a newspaper across the room. He then stormed to the kitchen kicking the chair and the table as he passed by them.

"Atlas, what happened?" Yuffie asked.

Angelique slowly walked up to him, and put her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"Hon, what's wrong?" She asked calmly.

He took a deep breath, and pointed towards the scatterd newspaper that lay on the floor. She looked at him questioningly, while Ifalna went through the mess.

"Those Shin-Ra _bastards_... are going through with the plan. They just announced it." He shook his head. "They are going to use MAKO for power. The planet's power. They say... they say its to improve peoples lives, but I know better. All they want... is to improve their salaries!" He started to shake.

Yuffie hung her head. He was exactly right. Too bad no one would listen for oh... say forty years?

"Maybe... maybe its for the better...?" Vincent said tentatively.

Atlas looked at Vincent as though he were a stranger.

"... I mean... it will improve people's lives... I don't understand the problem."

Atlas just shook his head.

"Thats exactly the problem... no one... no one understands what this could do to the planet, ya know? I can't make them..." He broke away from Angelique and went down the hall, too emotionally stressed to deal with anything else.

Angelique sighed and looked down at Ifalna.

"Why don't you guys take Ifalna to the park? This could take a while." She walked off without waiting for an answer.

Yuffie looked at Vincent. His head hung low, his bangs slipping into his eyes once again. Yuffie knew what this meant. He was brooding, and blaming himself for Atlas' stress.

She nudged his shoulder with her fist.

"C'mon, lets go. I'll get you a pretzel!" She said in a sing-song voice.

Vincent looked at her like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Ifalna just ran up to Yuffie.

"Can we look at the flowers first?"

So they did.

-x-

Yuffie didn't like the way Vincent 'discreetly' watched her every move. Vincent wasn't exactly the smartest person in the world, in fact he was kind of dumb, but that didn't stop Yuffie from being nervous. What if he figured it out?

This was the question that hauned Yuffie day and night. One little slip, and the future was wide open. And she was sure that it wouldn't be in a good way.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from being with him. She knew it wasn't her place to change what really happened, but what was so bad about helping a... friend?

Still...

"Why are you sad, Yu... Rose?"

Yuffie almost fell off the bench. She didn't expect Ifalna to pull the 'show-up-out-of-no-where' trick at the park, like she usually did. Wasn't she playing in the flowers a second ago?

_' ...Where did Vinnie go?'_

She looked around for Vincent. No where in sight... again. She sighed.

"I'm not sad... I was just thinking."

The seven-year-old looked disbelievingly at Yuffie.

"Would a flower make it better?"

Right then, when Ifalna held the little sunflower up, Yuffie saw lots of things in those green eyes of hers. She saw wisdom, she saw hope, and she saw... Aeris.

Yuffie could'nt believe she didn't figure it out before: The Key family was made up of Ancients. Atlas was Aeris' uncle. Ifalna, her mother.

Instead of taking the flower, like Ifalna had offered, she wrapped her arms around the little girl, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Sometimes this is all I need."

-x-

They finally found Vincent and began to walk home. Hopefully Atlas was feeling better.

Yuffie thought Atlas was some kind of glue that kept everyone together. Take him away, and everything falls apart. Especially Vincent.

He hadn't said one word on the entire trip. She knew that he was worried about him. And the worst part was: there was nothing she could do to make him feel better. And that, made her feel bad.

Ifalna squeezed her hand, and told her that everything would be alright.

She prayed to Leviathan that she was right.

-x-

Yuffie woke up early the next morning. Today was the day she was supposed to meet the childish E.K. She chuckled. This would be a great way to get her mind off of the whole thing that was happening now. A materia hunt always cheered her up.

Sure, it usually got her into trouble, but who cares? Who knows what was waiting for her?

She snuck around the house to make sure she wouldn't wake anybody up. Maybe... maybe they needed a break from her. Leviathan knows that she could talk on, and on, and on-

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie tripped over the rug. She hadn't expected Vincent to pull the same

"What'd you do that for?!"

He held out his hand to help her up, but she refused.

" I asked you a _question _Valentine? Why'd you have to scare the crap out of me?"

He lifted an eyebrow, looking at her increduously.

"You were sneaking around."

"Yeah, so?"

He sighed.

"_Why_ were you sneaking aroung." He hated her so much. He really, really did.

"I'm leaving. Happy now?"

_'No.'_ His heart dropped.

She smiled at him. "Relax, it's only for a couple days."

He didn't care. But he nodded anyway.

She grabbed the pen and notepad from the table, and scribbled something down. Then, ripped the paper out, folded it and handed it to him.

"Will you give this to Atlas for me? He'll be the only one to flip if I disapear."

Vincent looked down at the note, and nodded. It was his turn to stumble: she threw her arms around his neck and then ran out the door as fast as she could whisper-screaming: "See ya, Vince!"

That felt... familiar. And he didn't know whether he liked, or hated what just happend.

He didn't notice the new precense in the room.

"Well, good morning smiley!" Atlas said.

Poor Vincent nearly jumped out of his skin.

Atlas snatched the note from Vincent's hands and read it quickly. His good attitude quickly dropped.

"_Fuck._"

Vincent gave him a questioning look.

"Did Rose leave? Is she already gone?!"

He nodded quickly.

'_Yuffie...'_ Atlas thought. '_I knew you looked fmailiar. Just be careful you don't screw everything you worked for. This could REALLY screw up the time line if you're reckless!'_

-x-

Yuffie sipped her sparkling water, as she waited for the mysterious E.K.

It was already 8:10.

The one who said to be here at 8:00 _sharp_ was late! The nerve. Sitting at a bar alone was pretty miserable. Sitting at a bar alone and being stood up was even worse. Oh well, at least she would be able to tease Vincent a little more.

She got up to leave when suddenly the bar door swung open and a young girl stood in the doorway. Her tank top was a little small for her, and the shorts looked like something only Yuffie would wear: bright blue with lots of buckles and zippers.

She placed her hands on her hips and looked around until her eyes landed on Yuffie. Her mouth curled into a mischievious smirk. She then pointed at Yuffie.

"Look out, materia hunter! Elsa Kisaragi is in the house!"

Yuffie stood there dumbly. She forgot how to talk because Grandma Kisaragi was standing right there in front of her. And she looked like Yuffie's _twin_.

Well that explained how her family became interested in materia.

-x-

Ok guys, first of all, I'm REALLY sorry for the late update. Second, I'm on my mom's computer because I don't have any other computer available to me for another couple days. I can't find spell check, so please, PLEASE bear with me through this spelling NIGHTMARE. I'll fix it as soon as possible. Until then, deal. Anyway! I re-played KH2, and found out that someone else already had the catch phrase ya know? I was pretty mad. Ahaha. Also, who came up with the whole Vincent-raises-a-single-eyebrow-thing? Seriously. He never did it in any of the games... Also, who is 100% excited about Dissidia? I know I am. I have been waiting for that game since last October. Tidus vs Cloud! Whoo-hoo! Alas, school starts soon. I'm going to be a freaking Senior! Enjoy the rest of your summer, readers!

Until next time guys!

Read, Review, Correct my horrible spelling...

Love,

Sorrelstar


	8. An Hour and a Half

The eve of Vincent's birthday marked a whole week since the disappearance of Rose White. The last thing the Key family heard about the whole thing was that she left with someone named Elsa.

Right after she left, Atlas freaked out. Why did it matter if she went with that thief anyway? All she was interested in was materia. Rose could handle that a silly materia crazed Wutain. Actually, they were probably the perfect match.

Vincent couldn't help but feel that it was better for everyone anyway. They all were. She wouldn't be in the way of everyone else, plus she would be safe from the danger they were in.

Despite Vincent's 'positive' outlook, Atlas disagreed. He had said that she would come back for sure. That she needed to. He didn't say why, which just irritated Vincent. Why the hell did he have to talk in riddles all the time? It helped no one!

He couldn't help but think it may be connected to the fact that she seemed so _familiar._ Her name didn't really fit her at all, and there was just some sort of nagging within him that told him there was something there that no one saw. Except Atlas, of course.

'_I shouldn't be thinking about this right now,'_ He thought. _'I should be trying to sleep, so this day will be over and done with already!'_

Currently, Vincent was lying on his bed, tossing and turning. He turned and faced the alarm clock. It was only 10:30 pm. This was maddening.

In just an hour and a half, he would be a free _man._ He would be able to clear Atlas' name. He would be able to get a job, and pay him _every Gil back. _He would be able to help _pay for Ifalna's education._

The possibilities were endless. Finally, a worry-free life was on the horizon, and for once Vincent felt (almost) completely happy.

Until he remembered that anything could happen.

He frowned. Anything and everything, including the bad things too. What if something went wrong? What if the Shin-Ra troops barged in their secretly hidden home?

He took a deep breath. He had to stop that. How could those things possibly happen in an hour? He just had to get to sleep so he wouldn't keep thinking about ridiculous things.

He closed his eyes, and got comfortable. It didn't take to long before a sleepy haze started to fall upon him. He was getting closer and closer to the dream world when he heard the front door closed.

He sat up quickly. Who in their right mind would leave NOW? Whoever it was, they were being an absolute idiot. They could have just left to do whatever they needed to in the morning.

Vincent stretched out the last bit of sleepiness, and got up. He was going to stop that moron from making a big mistake.

He walked over to the closet, and looked for something warm to wear. For October, it was unusually cold. But the only clean coat he had was the obnoxious red one that he owned. He put his arms through the sleeves, and left his room.

He tried to be quieter then the person who previously left. Now that he thought about it… it was probably Atlas. He is the only one who would dare to go out now, when all those Shin-Ra troops were looking everywhere for Vincent… However he was also the one to tell the Key family (and Vincent) that they shouldn't leave the house… especially today.

So why would he leave? He honestly had nothing he had to do… especially at this time of night. Or did he? Although Vincent had known him for a long time, there were a lot of things he didn't know about his strange companion. He had only found out recently that he was an Ancient, something that Vincent still couldn't believe. Sill… there wasn't anything anyone could do at this time of night. Most stores were closed. And the ones that were open… were full of odd people…

But Vincent wasn't going to let any of those things stop him. He was going to tell Atlas that whatever he was doing could wait until a more reasonable time to do whatever he was doing… A less insane time to do it.

He checked the clock. It was 10:45.

Maybe Atlas was hiding somewhere until Vincent's birthday. Or maybe… someone got to him before Vincent. Maybe, he was in pain, and on his way to go to jail.

It would be all Vincent's fault. The whole family would hate him, he would be alone and-

'_Stop! Calm down! Nothing happened; I just have to find Atlas, that's it.' _He told himself. He took a deep breath before continuing.

He walked down the hall, and checked Ifalna's room. He saw her in her bed, her chest slowly rising and falling. She was asleep, tank god. Vincent almost thought that she had followed her older brother. She had a tendency of doing so.

Next, he had to make sure that Angelique was ok. She had been acting weird the past couple of days too. She was snippy, and cranky, and just not Angelique like. She was the only other person likely to leave the house. Luckily, she was sleeping alone in the bed that Atlas and her shared.

That confirmed it; Atlas was the one sneaking around. Vincent cursed silently. He was going to kill Atlas once he found him.

He went back to the living room, and got ready to leave. He was already livid. How could Atlas go around telling him not to leave when he was doing just that? What the hell? The more he thought about it… the angrier he grew.

Vincent put on his shoes, and headed for the door. He put his hand on the doorknob and paused. Was this the right thing to do? Leave the house? Something inside him told him not to… but another part screamed at him to go, and stop Atlas.

He couldn't bear it if he lost his friend to the Shin-Ra bastards, even if he was currently mad at his friend. It didn't matter what kind of fights they had, or even if they hadn't seen each other for years, they had each others back. So he opened the door.

11:00

He looked around before stepping out into the open. He had to be careful not to be seen by those damnable troops. There weren't many people around. However, there were plenty of Shin-Ra troops. Vincent brought his collar higher, to hide his face. Why the hell did he wear red again?

He stepped outside, and walked amongst the shadows. He had a feeling it would take a while before he found his idiot friend.

He began his search throughout town. He tried asking people if they saw him, but they all just shook their heads.

11:35

He was starting to get panicky. Maybe he should have just stayed back at the house. Atlas would've been ok without him meddling. Sill… he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw Atlas 100% ok. Then, and only then, would he get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach.

11:40

That was when Vincent noticed that one of the stores on the less Shin-Ra polluted streets was open. The Weapons Shop. It was open 24-hours for those who traveled. Atlas couldn't possibly be there, right? It was illogical. It didn't make any sense.

But just to be sure, he quietly walked over to the usually barren shop. He walked in, and felt warm air rush over him. And sure enough, there he was. Vincent smacked his forehead.

"What the hell are you doing out, Atlas? Do you have some sort of death wish for all of us or something?!" Atlas whipped his head around, and the color from his face drained.

"Vincent? W-what are you doing here? I thought I told you not to… to…"

"To do what you're doing?" In a second, Vincent had gone from almost loud, to deadly quiet. And that seemed to almost scare Atlas. Well, good. The bastard deserved it.

"I-I was just getting something ready for-"

"Here ya go sir, specially wrapped, just like you asked. She's a beauty all right."

All of a sudden, all the color rushed back to Atlas' face. He scratched the back of his head. To Vincent, it looked like Atlas had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I was getting your birthday present… I wanted it to be a surprise…" He tried to push the package under his white coat.

'_That's… all he wanted to do? Surprise me?' _Vincent honestly didn't know how to feel at that point. Should he feel angry, because Atlas' reason was stupid? Or should he fell stupid, because his reason was kind, and sincere?

"Oh… sorry" Was all he could come up with. Luckily, Atlas smiled that famous smile, and patted Vincent on the shoulder.

"No worries, man. Now let's get back before someone else notices we're gone. Namely someone who sleeps in the same bed as me!" He laughed, and Vincent couldn't help but smile a little.

11:43

Atlas paid the man at the counter, and thanked him. Then, Atlas and Vincent left the store, only to enter the cold again. They began their walk home when someone stopped them in their tracks.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to take you two with me." It was a Shin-Ra soldier, and from the looks of it, he knew exactly who they were.

Atlas glanced at Vincent. This was going to be bad; they both sensed it in their bones.

"And why do you have to do that officer? We've done nothing wrong." Atlas said sweetly. However, the guard was unfazed, and continued to glare at him.

11:45

"You match the description perfectly of one of the most wanted. And, I believe that this is the one that you kidnapped. Vincent Valentine, is it?"

Vincent took a step back. He was going to go back to his father… this was it. This was the bad feeling. He shouldn't have left. It was his entire fault. Atlas hates him now. He broke up their perfect family. He-

"I just ran into him. So you're Vincent, huh? What are you doing away from you're father, hmm?" Atlas said. "He works very hard for that company, and this is how you repay him?"

"Uh…" What the hell was Atlas doing? He wasn't going to betray him, was he? No, he was probably just making this guy confused. At least it worked on Vincent.

"Don't play smart with me. I know those tricks." The soldier said. "You're still coming with me."

"Officer, I think you are making a big mistake, I _just _ran into him. Plus, it's almost his birthday. In just fifteen minutes it won't matter."

Vincent slapped his forehead.

"And how did you know it was his birthday if you only just ran into him?"

For the second time that night, Atlas lost all color from his face.

"Oh, for the love of…" Vincent grabbed Atlas' hand and started to run.

"Hey!" That was all he heard the soldier say before they zipped off.

They needed to get out of sight… NOW. Vincent turned around to get a look at the increasing number of the soldiers. Atlas was running by his side, sending him an apologetic look.

Why was he saying sorry? It was Vincent's fault.

Atlas pushed him into an alleyway. Tall buildings surrounded them. The two watched the guards run past them, and yell at each other. '_Where are they?!_' They kept saying.

Atlas waited for them to get far enough, and then signaled Vincent to run into the entry way into a building. Vincent nodded and they both ran for it. They both took a moment to catch their breath. Vincent checked his watch.

11:50.

It was to late anyway, they already saw Atlas with Vincent. All their struggles, all those times that they had to hide… were wasted on this moment…

"I think we'll be safe here…"

"No, no we won't. It's over Atlas. We've been found." Vincent hung his head. It was his entire fault. Atlas would be wanted forever, and his family would never forgive Vincent.

"Vince, trust me. No one will get us. We'll be ok. "

"You think… that we will both get out of this?! You think that we will get through this _alive_?!"

"Yes I do. I know that _you'll_ make it, Vince."

"Wait, what do you mean?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Vincent usually never acted this way, but Atlas's riddles were really starting to irritate him. And at a time like this? It down right pissed him off.

"I know I should have told you, but I-"

"_HEY!"_ They looked up, and there was a soldier, running towards them.

"Vince, _run!" _

The two ran towards the stairs in the corner of the building. Vincent concentrated on his footing, making sure not to stumble. He really wasn't in good shape. All this running was making him tired. He should have listened to Atlas. He never should have smoked…

What were they going to do now? Run forever? Not likely…

"_WAIT!"_

11:58

They reached the top of the stairs and found them selves on the second story balcony. Vincent turned his head around. The Shin-Ra soldier had them cornered. Vincent's heart was racing. He couldn't believe this was actually happening.

11:59

The soldier put his hand on the gun on his hip.

'_He's prepared to shoot us?!' _

He looked over to Atlas. He had a sense of peace on his face. A look that Vincent had never seen on his friend before.

Then the soldier pointed the gun at Atlas, and put his finger on the trigger.

Vincent looked down. It was only the second story. They could survive the fall, right? Without further thought on the matter, he grabbed Atlas and he pulled them both over the edge.

Falling never took so long…

Vincent landed on Atlas. He rolled off of him and sat up. He felt dizzy. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea… His arm was killing him. Did he break it? It hurt like hell!

Wait… they still needed to run.

He nudged Atlas.

"C'mon… we… we have to keep… going…"

Atlas didn't respond.

"Atlas, get up."

Still no response.

Vincent looked over him. Hs eyes widened.

Atlas's head was bleeding. His head had hit a rock when they landed. Vincent was ok because he had landed on Atlas. He had _killed _Atlas_… _He killed Atlas? Atlas was… dead?!

"N-no…"

He heard a bell chime in the distance.

12:00

The soldier, now standing next to him snickered.

"Happy Birthday, kid."

-x-

Sorry it took such a long time to update guys! Hopefully this will satisfy you. It's extra-dramtic this time, and I tried to write it in a different kind of style. You like? Anyway, I've had a bunch of stories bouncing around in my head for a long time. Maybe I will post new storys soon, so keep your eye on the horizen, ok?

Anyway, It's 2 A.M and I'm going to fool around a bit on the forums before going to sleep.

(I'll try and respond to ALL the reviews this time, ok?)

Much love,

Sorrelstar


	9. Freakin' Time Twists

_-x-_

_7 days ago…_

_-x-_

_Yuffie could only gawk at the person who was standing in the bar's doorway. She had her hands on her hips, and her head was held high. It was a position that Yuffie often found herself in, and seeing it on this young person was kind of surreal. Especially once Yuffie saw that this young girl also shared the same face as her. It took only another second to figure out that this was indeed Elsa Kisaragi, Yuffie's grandmother. _

_Yuffie's face flushed a deep red, as she gazed at her grandmother who was currently clad in short-shorts and a pair of boots that came up to her thighs. That was not something she'd ever thought she'd she Grammie in. Ever._

'_At least her shirt has long sleeves…' Yuffie thought. It was bad enough that she was now imagining her in-the-future-Grammie wearing this outfit. And that was not pleasant. _

_Elsa, who was just about Yuffie's age, started to skip over to where Yuffie was sitting. She looked like she was ready to leave the bar right then, and there. Yuffie suddenly remembered what could happen to the space/time thingy if her Grammie were to discover who she actually was! But how can she get away now? She was the only one who showed up for the material hunt. No way would Elsa let her go that easy._

_But, Yuffie being Yuffie, made the futile effort of trying to hide behind the bar's menu. Yuffie knew full well that Elsa was a wise woman, and couldn't fall for anything so juvenile. Even when Yuffie had hid in her most clever of spots, Elsa found her. Elsa just maybe the smartest person Yuffie knew. _

'_I wonder how this will change the future…' Yuffie thought. Hopefully no one died, or anything. _

_The menu was suddenly snatched out of Yuffie's hands. _

"_What are you hiding from?"Yuffie could feel Elsa's gaze on the back of her head. This only caused Yuffie's breath to quicken. This was it. She would have to shoe Grammie her near identical face. _

'_Damn you materia!' After all, if it wasn't for the time-travel materia, she wouldn't be here. Hell, if she hadn't found that damnable flier, she wouldn't be here. Yeah, it was all the materia's fault! So if Leviathan questioned her about it in the afterlife, she was covered. So, she lifted her head, and faced Elsa. It didn't take long for Elsa to react._

"_Uh… are you… hmm… do I know you? You look kind of familiar… Though I can't quite put finger on it…. Hmm…" Elsa scratched the back of her head. Her short black hair went from somewhat presentable to a complete disaster._

_Yuffie didn't know if Elsa was kidding or not. She couldn't even recognize her? Really? But… they looked exactly alike! _

'_I guess wisdom comes with the oldness. So far she's as dull as Cloud!' Yuffie thought. _

"_Hmm. That's it! You're Wutain! You were in my class, right? Right?" Elsa bounced excitedly. She had been traveling so much that see hadn't seen any of her friends in like, forever! Not that she HAD many… Still!_

_Yuffie couldn't believe it. She had half a mind to tell Elsa who she actually was. But, that would probably screw up more than it would fix, so maybe it was better if she left Elsa in the dark for at least a little while longer… It should work. If Elsa couldn't tell that she and Yuffie were related now, why would she down the road? No way would she find out! Plus, she could always steal that big hunk of materia that Elsa was interested in. This would warn future Kisaragis to not trust so much in the future. Especially when it came to materia._

"_Yes! I was in your class, Gram- uh, Elsa. But, we didn't talk much. That's too bad since we both love materia so much! We could have become friends a lot sooner! Besides I-"_

_Yuffie just babbled on and on until Elsa had quieted her. They had to talk about much more important things than about the past! Materia was on the line here! What if someone gets to it first? Leviathan forbid!_

"_So! What's your name, fellow ninja?"_

"_It's Rose. Rose White."_

_And so the journey began…_

_-x-_

_4 days ago…_

_-x-_

_Yuffie let out a shriek while she hung for her life off a steep cliff. _

"_C'mon!" Elsa said through her teeth. She tried to pull her friend up with the thin rope she knew wouldn't hold much longer… With each tug of the rope, Rose was lifted a little higher. But the rope grew thinner in turn. _

_As a sweat drop fell from Elsa's nose, she pulled Rose up as hard as she could with one pull. _

_Yuffie felt her body being roughly dragged across the mountain's edge, as she reached an area which was safe(r) to stand upon. She allowed her self a minute to catch her breath, and to thank Leviathan that she didn't become a pancake. _

_For the past two days, they have been climbing the mountain in Nibelheim… Hoping to reach the peak, where the materia cave lies. Supposedly, anyway. But the way the two young women were traveling, it looked like they wouldn't reach the mountain's peak until nightfall. _

_With both of them out of breath from the last obstacle, they were going to have to take another break. Yuffie and Elsa scooted closer to try and get warmer. After all, the snow started to fall, and so did the temperature._

"_N-nothing can hold b-back a K-Kisaragi!" Elsa stuttered. Until recently, she had been living in Wutai, which was having the warmer season currently. Yuffie, although a little more used to the cold couldn't help but feel like the wind would never stop blowing. _

_She also was starting to feel very home sick. Not of the future home that she had… but being with Vincent. And, and the Key family as well. NOT just Vincent. _

_But… being with him was just like being at home for Yuffie… And yeah, it was kind of cool that she got to hang out with Younger Grammie… But still. Who knows what other trouble he could get himself into?! Gawd, he was dumber than HER sometimes. _

_Yuffie frowned. She would kick his ass if he hurt himself. Asshole. _

"_You ok?"_

"_Huh?" Yuffie broke out of her daze. _

"_You look like you're about t- to be sick with worry, or s- something. Not really the kind of behavior I'd expected to see f-from you, though." Elsa said suddenly._

_Yuffie just stared at her feet. Just how does she explain what's going on, when she's not quite sure herself? So she did what she does best. Avoid the question, and run like hell._

"_H-hey! Where are you going? WAIT UP!" Elsa wasn't really all that stupid. She knew something was going on. And Leviathan knew she wouldn't give up for anything in the world. She was, a Kisaragi after all._

_-x-_

_3 days, and twenty two hours ago_

_-x-_

"_Here, take this rock."_

"_What the hell am I going to do with this rock?!"_

_The two young women had reached the peak a little over an hour ago. Now, they were shifting the rocks that blocked the entrance to the materia cave. Thank Gawd it existed. If it didn't, Yuffie would have to die, and go into smack down mode with Leviathan._

_But still, her heart was pounding at the idea that she was less than thirty feet away from a legend. A new materia always gave her a sort of high that she used to live for. The last one she had that she felt GOOD about was stealing AVALANCHE'S materia. She met Vin- she met all her new friends that day._

_She smiled to herself at the memories that seemed so very distant… She almost missed the first speck of light that shined through. It was light blue, and it shined directly over Yuffie's heart. _

_Elsa and Yuffie exchanged a knowing look, and began to dig faster. Dust flew into her eyes, but it didn't matter… What treasure could be waiting for her? Within minutes, the hole was big enough for one of them to climb in at a time. _

_There, before them, was the materia on a raised ground. It was abnormally large, but it still didn't compare to the huge materia, of course. It was- extremely familiar looking. Yuffie knew this materia._

'_**What the hell is it called?!' **__She thought._

_Elsa grabbed the materia with no problem, and looked into the core of it. The shining blue essence almost looked like an entire solar system. But now that Rose and she had been traveling together so long, could she really just run and take it? Suddenly, the ninja in her felt something it never felt before. Regret._

"_Rose, listen I-"_

"_Elsa, you can't take that!"_

"_Huh?" She couldn't have possibly known all along, could she?! _

"_It's very, very important to the future! It's important… to me. And if you need to hear my story to understand, so be it! But I can't let you have that materia!"_

_So she had been lying to her. And the future comment opened a lot of new questions for Elsa. No wonder she couldn't recognize someone who was so obviously in the Kisaragi family._

"_First off, that's called the Proto-Materia…"_

-x-

Present

-x-

"Hello?" Yuffie opened the door to the Key family's secret hideout, and peered inside.

It was quiet, and even though there were multi colored walls, the place looked gray. Yuffie felt her heart rate quicken.

Vincent was ok. He MUST be ok. Right?

It was only one day after his birthday; he couldn't have gotten into any trouble.

"Vincent?!" Yuffie yelled.

"He's not here." The voice that had said this was a very quiet one, filled with grief and exhaustion.

Yuffie walked into the living room and found that the voice belonged to Angelique. Her eyes were red, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"W-what happened? What's going on?" Yuffie demanded.

Angelique looked up into Yuffie's eyes, and Yuffie saw the shade of sadness she hadn't seen since Aeris' death. It felt like the temperature of the room dropped down to zero.

"Vincent is in the hospital with Atlas… Atlas he… he won't wake up. He's in a coma that they say he will never come out of…"

Angelique broke out into sobs.

If Angelique was like this…. Than Vincent… His pain…

Yuffie cried too.

-x-

*waves* Hey-o!

Yeah, so. Atlas isn't as dead as you thought he was. But, things can only look up from here, right? Wrong. We are nearing the end of this arc, and are heading into something a little different. This story is more than half way through. But... only this part. Anyway! I was going to update sooner, but all the computers in my life sucks. Hopefully, you don't think it has been to long since the last update. The next chapter.... might be a little but of a wait, because I really need to pick up my grades... REALLY, I DO.

I hope you all had a better holiday than Yuffie and co. Please review, yadda yadda. I'd like to get 100 reviews before I update next time. That's only eleven! Just take one measly little second to tell me what you thought! And if I get 100 reviews by the end of this week, I will make sure to get the next chapter out within 14 days. Fair? I think so.

Love always,

Sorrelstar


	10. Let the Cat Fight Commence

_If what you say is true…_

It was sickening. His face was pale, his hair was limp, and his chest moved up and down mechanically. He looked like a mistreated toy that was left to fend for itself on the island of misfits. However, Yuffie thought that it really wasn't the worst fate that could (_yes, could. He WAS going to wake up!)_ Atlas- that was the way he would want to go: defending his family.

That's the thought that sent tears down Yuffie's cheek.

Atlas's sleeping form had truly disturbed everyone in the hospital. Doctors kept shooting sympathetic looks towards Vincent, as if to say '_Sorry for your loss.'_

Yuffie just wanted to yell out at the top of her lungs "He isn't dead! He's just resting! He'll wake up, I know it!" But it seemed that her usual spunk had been used up for the day. Or possibly even the entire week.

In fact, the entire Key family seemed to be a mess.

Angelique looked as if she was sick. Her skin was as white as Atlas's, and her eyes were red, and watery. However, Angelique kept stroking his hair, and whispering to him all while smiling. She truly believed that he was going to wake up, any minute now.

Ifalna looked more confused than upset. Although her wisdom was already beyond her years, she was still too young to understand this particular situation. She too believed Atlas was about to arise. Ifalna even shook him a couple times in order to wake him up. As if he could…

'_Shut up brain! Stop using phrases like 'as if he could'! Atlas isn't gone… he is just on a mind vacation! You… you are in there, aren't you? Or… if you're somewhere else, please come back. I know you aren't in the LifeStream yet. So, do everyone here a favor, and come back.' _

Suddenly, a dark thought entered Yuffie's mind. What if this was the way things were supposed to happen? Is this another reason that Vincent becomes so… closed off to the world? Could it possibly mean that Yuffie being here in the past would change nothing?

Was she powerless to save him?

'_SHUT UP BRAIN.'_

_If what you say is true… then…_

Yuffie looked at Vincent, and she found that although her depression in some ways became worse, she started to calm down. It truly was amazing, the affect he had on her.

Vincent sat in the back of the room with a grim expression on his face. Yuffie noticed that he was much paler than usual, and that nothing in the world really mattered at the moment. In fact, he hadn't even bothered to look up from the floor. At the moment, he couldn't seem to be bothered with any other emotion than guilt at the moment. He wouldn't even look at anyone directly. Because of course he would choose this moment to feel guilty. To blame himself for something he didn't do.

But he wouldn't see it that way would he? Although Yuffie wanted to say something, anything that would make him feel better, she knew that all her efforts would go to waste. Even though it killed her, the best thing to do was to leave him alone. Maybe she could talk to him later, when he had calmed down a bit.

And she will too. She wasn't going to allow him to take those dark feelings of his and lock them up deep inside himself. No, she had already seen the result of that.

-x-

That night, back at the Key's hidden household, all was deadly quiet. It seemed as if even life outside had stopped.

No one had said a word on the way home- not that they had much to say back at the hospital. But, it seemed to Yuffie that everyone had relaxed at least a little bit more, and that gave her an opening to finally, finally talk to Vincent.

She than realized exactly what her grandmother, Elsa, had meant…

-x-

"…"

_After Yuffie told Elsa the entire story of her being here, and her true relation to Elsa, the young woman remained quiet. She had a puzzling look upon her face, and it was driving Yuffie crazy._

_Had she done the right thing, telling someone from the past about the future? _

'_It doesn't even really affect HER future, though…' Yuffie rationalized. 'And even if she takes it badly, I can say Surprise! or even just take the protomateria. It's not like she is very good at material hunting/stealing… yet.'_

"_I thought I might have known you. I suppose that you really have no reason to lie to me. Except of course, to own this materia. But I can tell that there is truth in your eyes. I'm smarter than I look… and act." She flashed Yuffie a giant Kisaragi-Worthy smile. _

_Yuffie couldn't believe. She thought it would take a little bit more effort to get that damned material out of her hands._

"_B-but… I mean really? Thanks Grams!"_

_Then, Elsa turned serious. _

"_Just remember Yuffie: If what you say is true… then the future of many is up to you. This is a dangerous situation to be in, and something like time isn't something to be played around with. After all, I wouldn't want to miss out on such a cute granddaughter!"_

_Elsa handed Yuffie the oversized materia, and nodded in approval. Yuffie placed it in her bag, gave her future grandmother a goodbye hug, and disappeared into the night._

-x-

After sitting in the guest room for sometime, Yuffie decided it was time for her to try and talk to Vincent.

She rose from the bed, and started to walk towards his room. With each step, she had less of an idea as to what to say to her distraught friend.

'_All wounds heal with time' _Right. That'll go over well.

'_He'll wake up one day.' _Probably not a good idea to bring him up right now…

'_Need a hug?' _Wow, she kind of sucked at this.

She sighed, and looked at the door in front of her. It was of course, closed, and although it didn't have a 'keep out!' sign like Yuffie had own her own, they all knew to stay out. Despite this, she opened the door to Vincent's room anyway. She sighed.

He was gone.

'_When did he sneak out?! Leviathan, I thought I was a ninja!'_

She went back into her room, and grabbed her bag- she didn't need anyone to see the protomateria before it was time for it to return to the world… If she could actually GET the damn thing back to its own time.

She looked around the house one last time… just to make sure that Vincent wasn't lurking in some corner. When she was positive that he had indeed left, she did the very same thing.

Once Yuffie was out on the street, it occurred to her that she didn't have the faintest idea as to wear to search for Vincent. Not only was the town new to her, but he was always running off and hiding in the darkest part of town… She thought off-hand how good he would've been at hide and seek.

And then: she knew.

'_Vincent is an emotional cutter. Of course he would go there. '_

And she began running towards the darkest part of town.

-x-

"You aren't very good at spying…" Vincent said quietly.

She came out from behind the wall. She knew he'd be here… but that was all she knew. Really, did he _have_ to go back to the very place where Atlas fell?

"Uh… heh heh… sorry Vin." She stepped towards him, and copied his slouch.

They stayed quiet for a while. Surprisingly, it was Vincent who spoke up.

"I'm… joining the Turks."

Yuffie sighed.

"I know."

Again, silence.

"You know."

"Actually, I kind of guessed. I have no idea why you would do something like this Vin-Vin, especially since what _they_ have done to you." She started to get choked up. At this point, crying in public might is better… crying in front of Vincent made her feel so… exposed?

"I… can't let anyone in my family down anymore."

Oh. The Turks would provide him with training to fight. Rather, to protect.

"But Vincent, your father can find you now! Listen, there are other ways to-"

"No, there isn't! I won't have the past repeated again…"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles started to turn white, and that his palms might start to bleed if he continued to hold on to much longer. Some part of Yuffie wanted to cover that hand with her own, but she held back, knowing that would probably WORSEN the situation.

"And what better way to hide from my father than to be right under his nose?" He laughed humorlessly, and looked down. Yuffie noticed that his hair started to slip back into his eyes, just like when he was seven years old. Funny, his head band would probably solve all that.

"Rose… listen. I need you to tell the girls that I am leaving tonight. They… should probably change their last names… especially Ifalna. I don't know what it is… but Shin-Ra is planning to use the Ancients. I might find out this way…"

'_For once, please shut up.'_

And without another word, he turned and left.

Yuffie knew that she could help his future. All she had to do was to speak up. So... why not?

"N-no! Wait! Vincent don't join the Turks something awful will-"

But Vincent didn't turn around quick enough. All he saw was a desperate Rose desperately trying to reach him. However, something stopped her. She was being absorbed into some sort of light. She kept trying to tell him something- of that he was sure. But that didn't matter at the moment. All he knew was that someone had reached out to him for his help again… and again he failed.

He sank to his knees and looked to the sky as if it might give him some sort of answer… But nothing came. Nothing ever seemed to help.

-x-

Yuffie's surroundings were twisting and twirling. She couldn't find the ground beneath her, and she couldn't find the peace to think. She knew the feeling- she was shifting time again. Once again the materia seemed to choose the worst moment possible for her to disappear, as if it was toying with her.

It felt like centuries before time stopped. The world around her white… and she found herself facing the mysterious orb once again. Yuffie glared at it. She ripped it apart with her eyes, and even reached for the giant shuriken hanging on her waist.

'_That thing is so lucky to not be human. I would have ripped him/her to shreds right by now!'_

Instead, she let go of the shuriken, and started to kneel before it.

'_Please… just take me home. I've had enough! I know I can't mess with time, ok? Just stop playing with my feelings! Or at least… his…'_

Maybe it wasn't the materia controlling it. Maybe it was some sort of god, teaching her a lesson. But… there really was no reason for a god to care about what some clumsy ninja girl did with the past right?

The next thing Yuffie knew, was the change of scenery, the disappearance of the materia, (again, damn it all) and… a broom closet. What in the world was she doing in a broom closet?

'_That materia is seriously whacked. Well… at least I'm home!'_ She tried to be cheerful, she really did. However, she couldn't stop thinking about the look on Vincent's face when he turned around. It nearly broke her heart.

'_Ok Yuffs, chin up! That's in the past. I can make Vincent smile here… I can save him here!' _She put on her best determined face, and walked right out of the closet.

It was a darkened room, with test tubes, and various computer wires. There was even a human healing tube in the middle of the room, bubbling with the translucent green liquid. It was also a very cold and damp room.

'_What IS this place?' _Yuffie thought. She for sure it wasn't one place: home. The computers were too big and the human healing tube was at least 40 years out of date. Damned materia. Where the hell did it send her now?!

At that moment, Yuffie heard footsteps approaching the room she was in. So she did the most logical thing: she went right back into the broom closet.

"Ok… all set. Now I just need a test subject…"

The voice belonged to a young woman. She was perhaps in her early thirties, maybe a little older. Yuffie couldn't help but sneak a peak at her through the tiny key hole.

She couldn't believe it- but she was beautiful. And a _scientist. _In Yuffie's experience most scientists were just well… gross. The Young Scientist had flowing dark brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes to match. She had a sharp face, and a look that said she wouldn't back down from any challenge. A look very similar to the one Yuffie had.

However- this woman had a sleek body type. A body type that models would kill for. She carried a certain grace with her that Yuffie knew she would never could.

As of right now, Yuffie couldn't tell whether she loved or hated her. Then- Yuffie was scared witless of her- The Young Scientist was heading right toward the broom closet! Yuffie looked around in a panic, as if there was anywhere she could hide in a broom closet.

The Young Scientist opened the door and looked at her with a scientist's curiosity.

"Who are you?" She said.

"Uh…" Was all Yuffie could think of.

"Well you can't be here! My partner and er… protector would KILL you! Come; let's get you out before they see you."

The Young Scientist took off her lab coat and put it over Yuffie's head.

"We can't let _him _see you. He'll want to keep you here and do things to you…"

"Can't argue about that!" Yuffie muttered.

They almost made it down the hallway when Yuffie noticed a pair of two, shiny black shoes in front of her. They didn't have a speck of dirt on them. Yuffie knew that these shoes could only be worn by a stuck up bastard.

"Lucrecia, what is going on here?"

Two alarms went off in Yuffie's head. Number one: The stuck up bastard in front of her was obviously Vincent. Yuffie would know that voice anywhere and number two?

'_LUCRECIA?! THE WOMAN WHO BROKE VINCENT'S HEART?! Ok, I've decided I hate her. And as much as I'd love to stay and hate her… how do I get out of here?!'_

"Well. Vincent, this is my sister, Luna." Lucrecia was _almost_ a good enough liar to fool a Turk, she just didn't quite make it.

"I didn't know you had a sister." In Turk talk: What reason would you have to lie to me about your non-existent sister?

"Yes, my sister. And uh, she's very ill right now, so if you'll _allow_ me to take her home, that would be wonderful Vincent." Yuffie could hear the smile in Lucrecia's voice. Yuffie felt like she was going to barf if she heard anymore of her lies.

"Do you need me to accompany you?" He almost sounded _hopeful_. She knew that Vincent had it bad, but this was disgusting. She was growing angrier by the minute. She coughed obnoxiously loud to remind Lulu here that it was time to go.

"Well, see you tomorrow then Vincent." Then she turned on her heal, and guided Yuffie through the maze that was the Nieblheim Mansion.

-X-

Well, it's been a LONG time I know. But senior year is busy! Anyway, I just wanted to say that this is the last arc of the story, and it will be taking a little bit of a different direction than the last two. I hope you like it! Also, I'll be reviewing my story, making sure that it's revised and grammatically correct and all.

Speaking of which... I need a beta-reader, lol. Anyone up for the job? If you are please be into these fandoms: ff7, KH, Pirates of the Carribbean, and Alice in Wonderland (How'd you like that movie, folks?) . For future probable projects which I'm already planning =3.

I only received 8 reviews last time! And yeah, I did reach my goal of 100 reviews before 10 chapters (THANK YOU BY THE WAY =3!!!) But let's raise that little 8 to a 9, at least please?

(This is my first 10th chapter of ANYTHING! Huzzah!)

Love to all,

Sorrelstar


	11. Not At All Expected

Once the pair of young women found the sunlight, Yuffie struggled out of Lucrecia's hold.

"Let go, and leave me alone!" Unfortunately for Yuffie, her sudden resentment towards Lucrecia only further increased the young scientist's interest.

The wheels in Lucrecia's head began to turn, and a hypothesis started to form. Lucrecia knew that this wasn't exactly the time to pick up on another experiment… Especially since her career was really on the line right now… However! Lucrecia found that this was whole situation was all too delicious to let go unsolved. She needed to know.

"Who…" Lucrecia took a step forward and grabbed Yuffie's arm again. "…are you?"

Yuffie clenched her fists. So, old Lulu here was a stubborn one, eh? Well, Yuffie was more stubborn! Perhaps… no even more so than Lucrecia! Like _hell _she was going to let this old hag anything. So she responded like so:

"Piss off, Lulu!" Yuffie managed, while sticking her tongue out.

"Why you…" Fire danced across Lucrecia's chocolate brown eyes. She had very little patience for children. Scratch that… Lucrecia had little tolerance for people who acted like children. However, this wasn't going to stop her from getting the truth out of this _brat._

"You best tell me. After all, you have no place to go…" Lucrecia added a little shrug to make it look convincing. To be honest, she really didn't know if this girl had a place to go or not. However, with her appearing in a broom closet at the Niebelhiem, there was a better chance than not.

Yuffie took the bait. Only later would she realize that the whole thing was a setup.

'_How did she know? Well… that doesn't really matter anyway. I don't need to stay at HER place. I can find one on my own!'_

Then, a not so innocent thought made its way into Yuffie's mind.

'_Staying with Lucrecia would have its advantages. I can keep her in check; make sure she stays far, far away from Vincent. I can keep her far from the chance of ever breaking his heart. I can make sure that the whole 'Chaos' deal doesn't come into play. Then, when Vincent is safe and clear from all this mess, he and I can-'_

Her heart stopped. When did she start fantasizing about things like… well, things like _that?_

'_It must be Lulu messing with my head. What a freak.'_

"If I tell you what happened, I can stay at your place?"

Lucrecia smirked. Hook, line, and sinker. Although, it was almost disappointing how easy the truth was going to come out. But still, it was a conclusion, and moments like these made Lucrecia feel like a successful scientist.

"I have been traveling through time, and meeting an old friend of mine through all his troubles. I've been trying to help them get through it, but that's not really working out. So now, I'm trying to go home, but that's not really working either… So now, I'm going to try once again to save my friend from an awful fate they are not aware of quite yet."

Lucrecia blinked. That was by far the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. What was really surprising though, was that this girl looked like she actually meant every word. And her eyes dared Lucrecia to believe otherwise.

Intriguing.

'_Is this girl delusional? Maybe she was under some kind of materia influence? If I had to guess what spell, it would be confusion. However, her expression isn't hazy at all, and it appears to me that she is thinking clearly…'_

No matter how hard Lucrecia tried to make sense out of this situation, nothing seemed to add up. It looks like this was going to get interesting. New theory: Either this girl was completely insane, or her secret was positively brilliant.

'_I will get the truth out of you yet…' _Lucrecia thought as she let go of the young girl's arm.

"What is your name?"

"Huh? Why would you-"

"Well I can't have anyone living at my house without knowing their name. It's illogical."

The young girl smirked. To Lucrecia, her devious smile was telling her that this was just the beginning of their acquaintanceship. Well, she was up for the challenge.

"I'm- uh… I'm…" The young girl paused. So her name was classified as well. That was certainly… odd. Well, that adds to the challenge. (This challenge was seemingly more impossible by the second.)

"Let's jut leave it at 'Luna' than, shall we? Besides it would probably be better for you to remain under that alias. My protector is a little too precautious about my welfare." She smiled to herself. Although the younger man was slightly creepy, he was a good man. He always managed to make her smile.

'Luna' scowled.

'_Why, if looks could kill…'_

"Can we just get out of here already?!"

-x-

Yuffie was lying down on the bed in the guest room. Lucrecia had a very large apartment, on top of a little bookshop in Niebelhiem. And although it was an incredible apartment with an amazing view of the modest town, the scientist did little to decorate. In other words: it was the most boring room Yuffie had ever stayed in. It was almost as if the place was just purchased.

The walls were white, as was most of the house. It made Yuffie feel like she was back in a hospital.

Her thoughts unwillingly moved towards Atlas.

'_I wonder if he's still alive, or even if he's till in a coma. Whatever his fate is (or was), I hope that it turned out for the best for everyone.'_

Though to be honest with herself, that probably wasn't the case. Vincent had never been a lucky man when it came to relationships. Maybe one day Yuffie could change that.

'_Why do I keep having weird thoughts like this? It's not as if I like him like that… No one can feel something for a memory, right? I haven't been around my Vincent. No, THE Vincent. Not my. Oh, Leviathan, what have I gotten myself into this time?'_

Yuffie rolled towards the edge of the bed, and reached into her bag. There it was the faint glow of the brilliant Protomateria. It pulsed a strange power that Yuffie had grown to like. She found that looking at it helped her to forget about all the hardships she'd been through on this adventure.

Unbeknownst to Yuffie, tomorrow would prove to be a bigger hardship than all the other days she had been on this adventure. Tomorrow, both Lucrecia and Yuffie would return to the Niebelhiem manner.

-x-

"You're coming with me." Lucrecia said, waking Yuffie up.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. You are coming with me to the Niebelhiem Mansion today. I can't have you running off, now can I?" She tossed some of her old clothes at Yuffie, along with some _things_ she had purchased from a _friend_ earlier today. (She had connections even Vincent didn't know about.) It should help her fit in just fine.

"'M not going to run 'way… Jus' let me sleep a lil' longer…"

Lucrecia scoffed. Luna was very lucky to have a secret. It kept Lucrecia from killing the immature brat. She had acted like a four year old since she graciously brought her into her apartment. Saying things like 'You live here? This is so boring!' and 'Don't you have anything _better _to eat?' and especially 'You _really _need a new hairdo. Wow.'

With each new statement, Lucrecia was closer to madness. Perhaps it was contagious now…

However annoying Luna was though, however, Lucrecia found it hard to hate the girl. She was upbeat, and full of innocence. She was differently and interesting character, that was for sure.

Lucrecia went into the kitchen, and grabbed her notebook. She knew it would take her new companion some time to get ready for the day, and she wasn't going to waste the precious time that was given to her.

She began to work out the new problems brought to by yesterday's discoveries. With each new solved problem, Lucrecia only found more problems. It was a difficult project, but it was going to be worth it. The chaos project was going to change the future; she'd make sure of it.

Just as she set her pencil down on the paper, she heard the door open.

Lucrecia turned around to see the all-new Luna.

"This isn't going to work."

Lucrecia just smiled.

-x-

"Lucrecia, what is she doing here?" The Turk had asked coldly.

Lucrecia smiled one of _those _smiles. The kind of smile that makes him catches his breath, and even almost forgets about his Turk attitude. Almost.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but my sister needed to come with me. You see, she's been under a lot of stress lately, and that causes well… delusions. So I've been asked to keep an eye on her, and to help relieve some of that unnecessary stress. I should have told you, I'm really sorry…"

"… Just… Just make sure she doesn't touch anything." Vincent took one long look over at Luna Crescent. Something just didn't sit right with him about her. She seemed so… _familiar. _He knew for sure that he had seen her somewhere before. He was also pretty sure that she didn't have brown hair yesterday. He noticed this right away, of course. He also noticed that she was wearing contacts, suggesting that brown wasn't her natural eye color.

She was hiding something. That 'something' could endanger Lucrecia. He would not have that. Over his dead body would something happen to Lucrecia.

"Oh, Dr. Crescent? Would you be so kind as to come here for a moment? We have… things to discuss…" An irritating voice rang through the hallways, and pierced Vincent's ears. Hojo. Hojo was the man that Lucrecia worked for, and ever since Vincent laid eyes on the crazed looking scientist, Vincent resented him.

However, at the moment, he couldn't thank Hojo enough for presenting Vincent with the perfect opportunity to have a 'talk' with the younger Crescent.

He waited until he heard Lucrecia enter the main lab room, and for the door to shut behind her to make his move. He quickly walked towards Lucrecia's personal lab where he was sure he would find the young girl.

As usual, he was right. She was looking at one of the human healing tubes, and taping at the glass. Didn't he day to not touch anything? Didn't she realize how expensive and critical each piece of machinery was?

Luna turned around and smiled at him. What a child. She _smiled _at him, as if she _knew _him. That thought, only triggered another one. And from that one, another. He would discover what she was hiding very soon.

"Who are you?" He asked from across the room.

She showed no signs of fear, and laughed to herself a little.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of getting asked that question. Wouldn't you?" She turned back around, and continued to gaze at the large, empty cylinder.

Vincent walked up, and spun the girl around. Both of his hands were on her shoulders. He gave it his all when he looked into this girl's false eyes. People usually couldn't stand his red eyes. She would probably crack under pressure too.

"I asked you a question. Who. Are. You?" He gripped her shoulders harder with each word. He didn't miss the twinge of nervousness that entered her eyes. However, it wasn't fear… This surprised him a great deal.

"I'm Luna, ok? And get your hands off me! God, Valentine, when did you get so uptight?"

He smirked. There was part of the answer he was looking for. He dropped his hands from her shoulders.

"I never told you my name, now did I?"

"I-I" She managed to squeak out. Another part of his question answered: Lucrecia hadn't told her his name, at least not his full name. So, this child wasn't as good as she let on. Good, this should be easier than he thought.

He leaned in very close, until he was right next to her ear. His breath was tickling her neck, and that only caused her breath to grow ragged.

"I will find what you are hiding, Ms. Crescent, whether you like it or not." And on that note, he walked away.

Yuffie tried to catch her breath. The Vincent she knew wouldn't have done something like that. He wouldn't have accused her so harshly, or question her like a criminal. Vincent wouldn't act like… like a Turk. This Vincent was a Turk, and he was very intimidating. He was capable of things, Yuffie realized, that would shock the public.

This wasn't the man Yuffie knew, and she had better take every precaution there was- otherwise he might end up killing her. Yuffie wished right then, with all her heart that she was back in the company of the silent, brooding man.

* * *

WHOA. FAST UPDATE! I know, right? I love you guys! You gave me 13 reviews in one weeks time! That's simply amazing! Anyway, This story, as you can see, takes a little bit of a dark turn. Although, I did try to keep some humor in it, because, well because it's natural for me.

Anyway, this might be good news depending on who you are, and what you watch... I've officially begun to write my Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction! It is a Sparrabeth, and depending on how things work out, could be up on the site very soon. (Yes, I am advertising. Muahaha!) I have had other ideas too, such as Alice and Wonderland and Final Fantasy 13. (I like HopeXLightning. It's a little weird, right?)

So, tell me what you think what's going to happen next. I want to see how you think I think... And tell me if you are at all interested in Pirates!

Love always,

Sorrelstar


	12. Not Possible, Not Logical

-x-

"_Yuffie, relax." Vincent said. He was slightly amused by her awed face as she stared at the materia cave._

"_But Vinnie! It's here! I just know it!" She ran through the caves entrance without a second thought. Vincent sighed, following closely behind her._

_They walked for a while, until they came up to a fork in the road. Even though there were only two paths, it was very easy to get lost. Or worse, get stuck without anyone around to help._

_However, this didn't seem to worry Yuffie in the least bit. _

"_Ok, I'll go right (because I always am.) and you can go left!" Yuffie said. Although his flashlight wasn't directed at the young ninja's face, he could make out her grin._

"_Yuffie, maybe we should-" _

"_See ya!" She ran off into the right tunnel, leaving Vincent standing there alone. _

_He began to walk down the right tunnel as well. Although he would never admit it (even to himself) he didn't want anything happening to her, and this cave was just screaming 'dangerous'._

_Soon enough, it wasn't the only thing screaming. In the distance, Vincent saw a flash of bright white, and he heard Yuffie scream. Whether it was of pain or of pure delight he couldn't tell. He ran to her anyway. _

_His mind was racing with thoughts that haunted him. If Yuffie was hurt… If Yuffie was hurt he wouldn't know what to do…_

_He reached a dead end, and found: nothing. No materia, no Yuffie. It was just Vincent, alone. Again. _

"_Yuffie…" He breathed out shakily. He failed yet again to save someone important to him. He always did._

_-x-_

It had taken Yuffie a while to get used to being on guard all the time. It wasn't the fact that Yuffie had to do so, no. It was the fact that she had to do so _around Vincent_- the one person she had completely trusted. He was the one that had made her feel safe just by looking at him.

Yuffie didn't have that here. She didn't have her home, her friends, not even her own clothes.

Despite all this, Yuffie was not depressed. She still had her mission in mind. However, that endeavor had proved unsuccessful as of yet.

Just yesterday 'Lulu' had come in giggling, and couldn't keep herself from smiling. Once, the young scientist even came in with flowers once! _Flowers!_

And while the young scientist put on her flirtatious face around Vincent, Yuffie couldn't keep herself sane around the infatuated Turk. Yuffie couldn't decide what irritated her more: Vincent complimenting Lucrecia, or Vincent lurking around Yuffie.

Yuffie had to admit to herself: '_If I didn't know that future Vinnie wasn't so awesome I would have killed this guy already.' _

The worst days were probably when Vincent came over to '_check up on_' Lucrecia's '_safety_'. This, if translated into Turk meant something along the lines of "I'm here to spy on your supposed sister, and make sure that I make a threat or two so she doesn't get any ideas."

He was the worst kind of flirtatious: painfully obvious. However, Lucrecia seemed to actually like this! She even had the _nerve _flirt back! Every flutter of her eye, every faint blush that graced his face had gotten Yuffie angrier by the minute.

"I think he might start 'experimenting' you know…" Lucrecia said one night over dinner. Yuffie was glad that Lucrecia didn't go into detail. If she had, Yuffie might have killed her.

In the morning, Lucrecia would wake Yuffie up gently, and ask her if she would like to go to work with her. Usually, Yuffie would say no, and continue to sleep. Then, later in the afternoon, Lucrecia would return home, muttering to herself. It had become a routine very quickly.

Yuffie, after a while, had begun to wonder why Lucrecia hadn't been asking her about her story. Had she finally realized that she was telling the truth about time-traveling? Or was it that she was too distracted with work? ('_Or co-workers' _She thought bitterly.) Whatever it was, Yuffie was getting a little worried that her time and connection to save Vincent from his awful fate was about to expire.

-x-

Lucrecia came in crying one day. She leaned against the door, looking positively disheveled. Yuffie was almost excited to see her that way, but that annoying little thing called her conscience prevented her from making any snarky comments. In fact, Yuffie decided to go over to her, and ask Lucrecia what the problem was.

"Hey, what the hell's YOUR problem?" Hey, she didn't say that she would be polite about it.

Lucrecia looked up with some of the saddest eyes Yuffie had seen. She wasn't exactly prepared for the words that were about to come out of the Young Scientist's mouth.

"L-Luna… I'm…" She took a deep breath, and put a hand over her stomach. "I'm pregnant." She said shakily.

Yuffie's face went blank, and her heart dropped to the deepest part of her soul. _'Vincent had a child? Vincent had a family? A family that she would never be apart of?' _Yuffie almost started to cry herself.

"And I'm… I'm not allowed to see… to see Vincent anymore…" Lucrecia started to sob all over again. She sank down to the ground and almost began hyperventilating. Yuffie walked over to her and sat beside the near-broken.

"Why wouldn't the father of your baby be allowed to see you?" Yuffie said softly. It was definitely hard to say those words. She couldn't even bring herself to say his name.

Lucrecia whipped her face around to glare at Yuffie. Honestly, this girl could be so ignorant!

"Vincent is _not _the father! No it's…" Her anger faded away quickly, and she melted into depression once again.

(At this point Yuffie couldn't help but smile a little bit. Vincent was not allowed to see Lucrecia, and Lucrecia wasn't carrying his child.) "It's?"

"Hojo…" Lucrecia barely got out.

'_Hojo's baby? Hojo and Lucrecia had done… it? She couldn't have… not with the way she looks at him. She wouldn't DARE to betray him. Unless Hojo forced her to…'_

Which is exactly what he had done, and when Yuffie decided that this was the most logical reason, Yuffie's mind started working like Lucrecia's.

'_If Lucrecia is having HOJO'S baby and Hojo's baby was Sephiroth… then… Oh, sweet Leviathan.'_

"Vincent t-thinks I betrayed him, and I can't even apologize! It's all Hojo's fault! The p-person I need most now, is the person – can n-never have!" Yuffie managed to pick up Lucrecia, and bring her to her room. It was going to be a long day tomorrow- she could tell. Lucrecia would need all the rest she could get.

Yuffie wasn't exactly sure what she needed at the moment, but she was pretty sure that it was the same person that Lucrecia needed.

-x-

Days had passed, and there wasn't any word from Vincent. Hell, no one said a word about the Young Turk. These days, all Lucrecia did was mope around, and try and get all her information about Chaos sorted.

Yuffie stopped going to the lab completely. It wasn't exactly because of Vincent. This time, it was because of Hojo.

The last time Yuffie made a trip to the lab, he had been looming over everything that Vincent had done. It was hard to see Vincent look so trapped, and not be able to do anything about it. It made her heart ache in ways she couldn't put into words.

For Yuffie, it was as if she was trapped as well. She had no idea how to change the future for the better now. What, should she hurt Lucrecia, and defeat all possibilities of Sephiroth? (No, then Vincent would be stuck in the coffin forever.) Kill Hojo? (Not likely, he had people protecting him too.) And all her ideas after that were just plain ridiculous.

She was stuck in a time where time was against her. Maybe if she actually tried to go back to the lab, she might find some clues… Yuffie had decided that this was probably the best thing to do, and made plans to wake up early the next day.

-x-

"Don't talk to anyone today. In fact, just stay in the lab. The part where I work, ok? And DON'T say anything to Vincent. Nothing at all." Lucrecia barked at Yuffie on the way to the ShinRa mansion.

Yuffie mostly ignored her, and made plans of her own to go exploring while Lucrecia had to take care of one of her many 'pregnancy problems'.

She mapped out a course to Hojo's room- he was freakish enough to look into time travel and mutations and all that jazz. Yuffie also managed to make a make-shift lock pick, and other tools that a thief might need. She was quite proud of herself. Lucrecia didn't notice her lack of talking at all!

However, Yuffie noticed the excessive bossing around that Lucrecia had been doing. She had been told that pregnant women shouldn't be blamed for anything they say, or do, but this was ridiculous. She was lucky she was pregnant, or Yuffie would have hurt her! (Yuffie found that there were a lot of occasions where she would like to harm the young scientist.)

When they finally arrived, the two young women went directly to the lab. Lucrecia made no acknowledgment to Yuffie, and Yuffie rather liked it that way. She finally had a break from Lucrecia's constant nagging, and complaining, and it was quite a relief.

However, being ignored was dreadfully boring and Lucrecia did so for what seemed like hours. Yuffie had counted all the tiles at least one hundred times before the damnable women actually presented an opportunity for Yuffie to leave the room.

She snuck out of the room while Lucrecia was busily typing away some sort of nonsense, and made her way towards Hojo's. So far, no one made an attempt to stop her, although Yuffie wouldn't have minded if they did. Hojo was definitely what she would describe as a 'creeper'.

She craftily broke the lock off of his door, and walked in.

Yuffie silently thanked Leviathan that no one was currently in the tiny room. She walked over to the desk, and began to search through all the papers. Nothing seemed to be on time travel- not a single word! All of it seemed to be on creating the perfect being. And Yuffie was almost positive it was the plans for Sephiroth.

Yuffie decided it was time to look else where for her desired information. She was about to make her way towards the filing cabinet when she heard voices coming from down the hall.

She quickly made her way towards the closet (a situation in which Yuffie found herself in more and more often.) and tried to remain as quiet as her ninja abilities allowed.

"What did you do to her? What did you do to Lucrecia?!" This voice was Vincent's that much Yuffie was sure of.

"I did nothing. She chose me over a _boy. _A fact you should get over immediately if you know what's good for you." Hojo's slimy voice broke out into chuckles.

"That's not what I meant-" Vincent said (She could almost she the frustrated flush dance across his face.) "I mean she has been getting sick. She's been fainting, and it's probably because of something YOU did."

Vincent sounded like he was about to hurt the mad scientist, and Yuffie couldn't blame him. She almost wished she was out there to help him.

"I've had just about enough of you… In fact, I have!" He laughed wildly. And then Yuffie heard it, that sickening click followed by a telltale _bang. _Yuffie started to shake with fear for Vincent. Was he ok? What was happening?

Despite all these questions, Yuffie knew in her heart what had happened. She just couldn't admit it to herself. She felt her eyes well up with tears. There was nothing she could do. She had been completely useless the entire time.

"H-_Hojo?!"_ Lucrecia's voice rang through the hallways. (When did she come in, anyway?) However, the only answer that she received was the sound of Hojo's cruel laughter getting louder, and louder.

"L-Lucrecia…" Vincent said weakly. It would be the last thing he ever said to her in her lifetime.

"I'll call one of my assistants to clean this _mess _up." And with that he exited the room, his laughter and Lucrecia following.

Yuffie waited a minute, and then left the comforts of her tiny closet. She rushed to the side of the fallen man.

"Vince? Vincent?!" She whisper screamed. However, no answer came.

Vincent wasn't breathing. He had no pulse. And all the blood he had seemed to be pooling around the couple.

This was a fact that time or Yuffie couldn't change. Vincent Valentine was dead.

-X-

Hi guys! I know that this chapter might seemed rushed... (it kind of is...) but the next chapter will make up for it, I PROMISE. It will be an awesome ending, I promise. And yeah, I said ending. There are only about two chapters left of this part of the story. And the part after that only has about 3-5 chapters so... yeah.

Anyway there is a new poll up on my profile, I'd like all of you readers (reviewers and non-reviewers alike) to vote. You guys are all so lovely!

Love,

Sorrelstar

(P.S. The first person to guess how many times I have seen Alice in Wonderland will get the next chapter before everyone else! Post it in the reviews! Good Luck!)


	13. Clearing the Web

Dedicated to kimmik777, who was the winner of the contest! Hope you liked it! (Before everyone else, heehee.)

* * *

'_Where did I go wrong?' _Yuffie thought as she brushed a dark lock of hair out of Vincent's face. He looked so pale now... And he felt so cold.

She had carefully placed his head onto her lap. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was asleep. His face, although it had looked like it was in pain before, had relaxed into it's natural state.

She felt so helpless. After all, all she could do now was just... look at him, and wonder at what could have (should have) been.

The maybes, and what ifs, were killing her. Wasn't she sent back in time for a reason? And if she was, what reason was it? Maybe it was all just a game. Maybe some god was bored and decided to play with her heart, and mind.

She almost laughed at that thought. She was beginning to sound like the Vincent she knew again. If he ever heard her speak like this, would he take on her role? She smiled bitterly. If only...

'_I thought... I thought I could keep him safe. But I let him SLIP through my fingers. I should have done something... anything! The only thing I did was hide in a closet and let him d-... let him down. I failed my friend.'_ She paused for a moment, a new thought interrupting her last.

'_I'm not the only one who failed him.' _Lucrecia's face entered her mind. She fled the mansion as soon as soon as Hojo ordered his men to prepare a sterile operating room. Yuffie knew from the look on his face that he planned on experimenting on Vincent.

Vincent...

He didn't deserve any of this. He deserved to be happy. A nice quiet life, with a full family. A couple of kids, and a wife who loved him so... One who wouldn't so easily leave his side- no one who would NOT leave his side. Even if it cost it her dying breath.

Suddenly it hit her.

'_I promise that you'll see that day, Vincent. I swear it on Leviathan himself.'_

It was time to take things into her own hands- for real this time. She was going to save Vincent from an awful fate. How could she not? She was Yuffie Kisaragi- the white rose of Wutai. That was all she needed to reassure herself that she could in fact help her friend. Instead of looking now to the what if's, she was now looking to the what-could-be.

It took her a while to figure it out (a whole seven minutes of moping? Gawd, she was glad no one _alive _was around to see her in that state!)

There was no reason to behave like she had been the last few days. After all, if her thoughts were correct, Vincent wouldn't be dead for much longer. All she had to do was make sure it happened. Now was her time to shine, and be the hero of the story.

She heard footsteps approaching. Her time for mourning, revelations, and basking in said revelations, was over. It was time to kick Time's ass!

She stood up swiftly, and took one last look at Vincent Valentine. The next time she saw him, he would be a completely different man. She just wished that it would be the one she knew.

"Hey!" Yuffie looked up and saw one of Hojo's henchmen standing in the doorman. He had large, almost in-human like muscles. (Yuffie had no doubt in her mind that he was a result of one of many experiments Hojo preformed.) He looked ready to fight, but Yuffie knew that although fighting this amateur would be fun, there was no time to do so. It was time commence operation: Get The Hell Out, And Save Vinnie!

She ran towards him, making it look like she was going to attack, but instead she surprised the dimwitted muscle head by sliding right under him.

"W-what? Hey!" He yelled.

Yuffie flipped herself back unto her feet, and spun around to face him. He was charging at her like some sort of wild bull. Unfortunately for him, Yuffie had remembered her supplies today. She took a small looking ball out of her pocket, and threw it to the ground before sprinting a way.

There were probably more of those moronic henchmen on the way. And she didn't have time to teach him a thing or two. She would have to settle with giving him one of her nastiest stink bombs of all time.

She smirked as she heard the stink bomb go off, and a loud thud. _'That should leave him unconscious for about... and hour or two?' _That was satisfaction enough.

Yuffie turned right into the labyrinth that was the underground of the ShinRa Mansion. In a moment of panic... she forgot her way out. She skidded to a halt in confusion.

'_C'mon, Yuffie, think!' _There were so many twists and turns. She scratched her head in thought. She just stood there, trying to map out the mansion in her head. She'd been here plenty of times before... why was she having trouble now?

It took a second or two, but it felt like she finally knew the way out.

"There she is!" A second to late, that is.

She turned around to see a whole pack of meaty guards coming after her. (That might have been the cause of her slight brain disfunction.)

"See ya!" She said before she started running again, through the maze, to the way she was SURE the exit was.

It wasn't an easy task. Those guards, although not very bright, made up for it in speed and strength. They were quickly gaining on her, and that made them to close for comfort. On top of that, they gave her the impression that weren't going to stop chasing her! Getting away from them was costing her the time she needed to get to Lucrecia. One guy shot a dart-like-thing at her, but missed her buy a few inches.

_'Most likely to knock me unconscious. Good thing he has bad aim! Still, that was WAY too close!' _

Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to deal with these schmucks.

She ran closer towards the wall, before actually _running on it._ In a moment she had kicked herself off the wall while throwing another one of her bombs. (Results of her own experiments. She kind of liked playing mad scientist when she younger.)

In a flash, the hallway was covered in a sticky like substance. The hallway was now filled with curses and grunts of frustration. In that sticky substance was the army of henchmen. They all seemed to be in a rather good hold of the stuff.

This time, Yuffie couldn't help but take a moment to admire what she had created. A giant web. Too bad she didn't have a spider to pick out all the bad guys with. Then to Yuffie's great surprise, they started to break free of the slime.

She jumped slightly before heading off again.

-x-

"Lucrecia!" Yuffie slammed the door open. Lucrecia's apartment sounded so empty. But Yuffie knew better. That useless scientist was in here, somewhere. Probably planning to do nothing but cry. That thought just annoyed the hell out of Yuffie.

"Lucrecia!" She repeated.

She listened closely, waited for the first sign of life to ripple through the room. At first, it seemed like Yuffie was the only person in the whole world, let alone the tiny apartment.

She took a deep breath, and waited patiently. Finally, she heard that tiny sniffling sound. It came from the kitchen. She took long, slow steps toward the room. She _wanted_ Lucrecia to hear her coming. (She also kind of wanted Lucrecia to _fear _her. She really had no idea what was coming.)

Lucrecia was just sitting in the corner of the small kitchen, shivering, and crying. She looked up at Yuffie, and whimpered a bit. Like a child.

Yuffie balled up her fists, and had to calm herself before speaking to Lucrecia. If Yuffie talked to her in that one small moment, she just might have killed her. (Well, punched her in the face, but really, anyone would have.)

She took a deep breath before marching up to Lucrecia's balled up form in the corner. She reached down, grabbed her by the shirt, and slammed her against the wall.

"What the _hell _ are you still doing here, Lulu?"

Lucrecia let out a small wail before replying.

"I-I can't... H-he's d-dead. I c-can't d-do anything!"

"You can't be THAT stupid!" Yuffie said. "You and I both know that the only thing you can't do: is nothing! But what you can do is lying right in front of your nose!"

Lucrecia gave her a peculiar look.

"W-what are you talking about?" She said, starting to calm down. (And beginning to get annoyed herself. Why was she still elevated, and against the wall?)

Yuffie thought that she might hate herself for this, but she knew in the end it was the only way. In fact, it probably was the way it was supposed to be regardless of her being here or not.

"God damn it, Lucrecia, Use your fucking head for ONCE!" Yuffie yelled. She couldn't stand this woman much longer. "Use The Chaos Project." She said quietly. "It's his only chance.

"But... how? How did you know about it?"

"Does it _matter_? Right now, Vincent is probably in terrible pain right now, and it's all because of YOU and HOJO! If you hadn't gone and broken his heart and slept with that creeper... ugh... just, figure out a way to fuse chaos within Vincent. That's all that matters right now. It should keep him alive, right? _Right_?"

Lucrecia paused for a moment, giving it more thought. It... might actually work if she... yes, it was possible. A long shot, but possible.

"You were telling the truth, weren't you? About coming from the future?" Lucrecia asked.

"Lucrecia, you are straying from the other puzzle at hand and that is getting chaos inside-"

"Then the person you are protecting... is Vincent..." She said, finally putting the pieces all together. "You're... in love with him, aren't you?"

"What? I... no. No! I can't... that's..." Yuffie finally let Lucrecia drop to the floor. She was too shocked at the Scientist's bold statement that she simply couldn't hold on any longer.

"I am _not _in-in love with..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

"You're here to help him, aren't you? Well. I can't mess with time, now can I?" Lucrecia stood up, feeling more confident now.

"I had a feeling that you felt something, but this is just amazing. A young brave woman to save her lover from his horrid past. Sounds like a bad romance novel." She faced Yuffie, and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Well, when you meet him in the future again, could you give him a message?"

Yuffie nodded slowly, still processing the new concept of her being in love.

"Tell him... that I am truly, deeply, sorry. I really am... I'm so sorry." And with that, she left.

Yuffie's mind kept spinning. Her? In love? If she was in love with Vincent... then... all hope was lost. She smiled briefly. He loved Lucrecia so much still, he would never even consider a relationship(?) with her. But if he was safe... than it was ok. At least she still had her friend.

Suddenly the kitchen flashed a bright white. Yuffie shielded her eyes from the light with her arm, until the light died down. She felt like the whole world had been turning, making her dizzy. She fell to the floor, waiting for both the shine and the spinning to stop. When she finally moved her arm she saw something she knew she shouldn't be so surprised about.

It was the time-traveling materia.

Yuffie panicked. She knew that it was going to send her home. However, she couldn't allow that. There was still one thing left to do. So, she got up and sprinted towards that damned glass ball, and grabbed onto it before it could just send her back.

"Oh... no... you... DON'T!" She yelled at it. She concentrated so hard, her hair hurt. If she could just use it to her advantage once, it could very well change the state of the entire future. And with another flash, she was back in the mansion. A couple weeks into the future, no doubt.

In the middle of the room was the giant human healing tube. Inside... was Vincent. His face looked tired, but at least, he was alive. In part anyway. She took a couple steps back to try and get a better look at the tube, when she tripped over something.

Lucrecia was on the floor, kneeling. Yuffie had not only controlled where she wanted to be, but stopped time as well. But looking down at Lucrecia, she almost wished she came a bit earlier.

Lucreica looked as if she was in pain, both physical, and emotional. She must have run out of ideas for the Chaos Project. Vincent must have had trouble controlling Chaos. Which reminded Yuffie...

She reached into her bag, and pulled out the Proto-Materia. She placed it on the floor right next to Lucrecia, and backed away from it. She then looked back to Vincent, and smiled.

"I guess Lucrecia was right about one thing." And as the light began to capture her once more, she whispered "Good Luck." And faded away.

-x-

"Whaddya MEAN she's gone?" Cid barked into the phone.

"Just that. She's gone..."

"But how in the HELL can she just disappear? This ain't no magic show! And it BETTER not be another prank. I swear if she thinks-"

A bright flash illuminated the cave where Vincent was standing. He dropped the phone, and looked away from the light. Just what was going on? When he looked back, there was Yuffie.

"Vincent?" She asked quietly.

"Yuffie... what's going-" She cut him off by giving him a giant hug.

Vincent looked around, almost scared how to react from this situation. Just what happened? Was she... sniffing him?

"Yuffie?"

"Vincent... Oh, my GAWDS, Vincent! I am SO glad you are ok. You have no idea what I've seen..." She hugged him tighter. "I'm so glad..."

Tentatively, he placed one hand on her lower back.

"Yuffie, I'm Ok." He felt stupid saying it, but it sounded like something she needed.

"C'mon, Vinnie. Let's get the hell out of here."

He was going to question why she didn't want to look for the materia more, or what, exactly, she saw that freaked her out so much. But right now? He was happy that she was ok, too.

-x-

On the way back, Vincent stayed on deck of the airship, looking out towards the sky, when he heard a knock behind him.

"Um, Vincent?" Of course it was Yuffie.

"What is it?"

She walked toward him, and sat down, letting her legs dangle off the side of the ship.

"I just wanted to... um, say sorry."

He narrowed his eyes. Yuffie NEVER said sorry. And (as far as he knew) she hadn't done anything to him.

"Well, it's just, I kind of saw something that I wasn't supposed to. I saw... everything. I saw. And I'm sorry for it." She didn't say it very loudly.

"Yuffie, what are you talking about?" He was starting to get worried. When they got back on the airship she wandered off and started to avoid him. (That was all after Cid yelled at the two of them for making him wonder what was happening. After all, they just left him hanging. He 'Got this damn close to getting off the ship himself to come get 'em.')

"I... I saw your past. All of it. Most of it. The stuff you wouldn't want people to see, and I'm sorry Vincent! I can't tell you how sorry I am-"

But he had stopped listening. Vincent's blood ran cold. She really saw his past? All his sins? She must hate him now. She must know, and have seen what he had done as a Turk. Why was she pretending? She couldn't... He must have spoiled her innocent thinking now... Her cheery outlook on the world...

Vincent started to walk away. He ignored her calls to him. He couldn't handle it right now. He had to get away, he just... he had to get away to think, to redeem himself... to do something.

Thats when his wish came true in an almost unexpected way.

He started to feel detached from the world... as if something was pulling him away. He looked down at his hands. They started to shine, and... _fade. _

"Huh?" Was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

"Vincent? Vincent, oh my god!"

That was the last thing he heard before he faded away.

-END PART ONE OF TWO-

* * *

Wow. It's finished. Finito. Hopefully you all liked it, and hopefully I convinced you that I filled in all those icky plot holes, such as, where the hell did the Proto-Materia come from? Ha-ha. Anyway, I want to know. Did anything really surprise you from this story? Did you have a favorite part? A favorite OC character? Did I portray well enough?

And one more question... Should I post part two right here, along with this one, or create it as a proper sequel? You choice.

Maybe another contest, as well? Since the last one went to my good friend kimmik777, and she liked I thought you guys might like that. If you think the contest thing was a fun idea, answer THIS question: What day does the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie come out?

If a lot of people get it, I'll accept the first... two people instead of just one. And they will each get the new chapter for the next part of this story. Plus all future chapters, as well! If you all liked my story enough, that is.

Thanks for being on this year journey with me! I love everyone who reviews! (And waits way too long for another chapter.)


	14. PART TWO: History is made in Time

So I decided to post here anyway. I figured that if I posted it with a new summary, and title, it would give EVERYTHING away. And with that... Enjoy.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own it. This is pure fun.

* * *

Vincent Valentine was starting to fade away. It was a strange feeling, to be sure. Like, your whole body was made of smoke. If Yuffie had tried to pull him back, he was sure her hand would just slip through him.

He started to feel as if he was being pulled away, as if he didn't even _belong _to this world, this time anymore. He tried to find something to hold him in this place, but all there was only the blank walls of the hallway, and Yuffie, standing there, looking helpless. She kept calling out his name, desperation written all over her face.

In that last second in time, he wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that he'd be alright, even if he didn't believe it himself. But it was to late. He was gone, floating into nothingness, everything was so dark... and quiet. Even for him.

Vincent wondered how long he would stay in the darkness. Perhaps, this was a punishment. Maybe he was never meant to leave this hell. It did fit... Yuffie had just found out about his past, and probably tainted her innocent thinking because of it.

This reminded him of what Nero was capable of. Surrounding people in darkness, leaving them alone with nothing but their thoughts of failure. If that didn't affect Vincent, why was this? Odd.

He suddenly thought of Yuffie. He had saved her from the darkness that time. He had saved her then, and now... He had to think about his time. He did seem to have plenty of it now.

_'I wonder how I never noticed her... If she had seen everything... Why hadn't I seen her?' _It took him a while to figure the answer. It was simply because he wasn't looking.

He'd been so foolish. He should have said something to her, apologized for what she saw. Yuffie must think he was a coward now, for letting everyone in his past down. He couldn't believe that he now had to add her to the list... He was going to miss her company. It always made him... almost... _happy. _No. He had been happy around her.

And now, because of him, their friendship was ruined. Could he ever make it up? Could he ever atone for this newly committed sin? Yuffie was a forgiving person. (Unless, of course, in the matters of materia.)

Perhaps, he could treat her to something, anything. She did like materia hunting. Maybe a different journey? She's like that, he thinks. He could also bring her to Wutai. She had loved going there, to visit her country. Maybe they could even stay for a while. He started to smile. Or, at least, something close enough to it.

Yes, he decided. He'd do just that. Materia Hunting in Wutai.

It was then, when the darkness finally subsided. The darkness had turned into an unnatural blinding white light. It was a warm feeling. It seemed familiar, somehow. Was this the same light that had brought Yuffie back to the present? That was odd.

Well, maybe that meant he was going to be in the present in a moment as well.

Maybe this whole thing was just a dream. He would wake up tomorrow, and Yuffie would tell him it was time to go, and get the materia. She would find out that there was no such thing as a time travel materia, and she would _not _see his past.

Vincent could usually lie to others well, but he was never believed himself. He knew things were just about to take a turn for the worse.

When the light finally faded, Vincent was back in the cave. Which was odd, seeing as he just left. Maybe... it had been a dream? Did he get knocked out by the first white light? He was on his hands and knees so it was a possibility.

However, that was thought was crushed by the small click that echoed through the caves tunnels. A large two barreled gun had been aimed at his forehead, only inches away.

"You better do what I say, Valentine, or I'm going to blow your brain to smithereens!" A young female sounding voice had stated.

He looked up, and saw that it was in fact a young girl.

She had jet black hair, that just tickled her shoulders, and pale skin to compliment it. She wasn't very tall, but that was to be expected with her age. She wore a short sleeved sweat shirt that zipped down, instead of up, and a pair of shorts.

But the thing that had Vincent really wonder about her, was the bug eyed mirrored goggles that she had been wearing. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't see into her eyes, that's usually how her got people to leave him alone.

She appeared no younger than fifteen, and yet she was holding a gun to his face. Interesting, at least.

"I doubt that you would shot me, if you need me." It was a gamble, but it was exactly what he thought to be true anyway.

"W-well. That doesn't matter! You still better do what I say... or else!"

He noticed then, in that little quiver she accidently let slip out, that she was lying.

"There's no bullet, is there?" He said, resisting to smirk. After all, he had just shown this little girl her place. Really, who was she to talk to anyone like that?

She let the weapon down, and put it back in the holster on her belt. The young girl offered her hand to him, and helped him off of the cold cave floor.

"Ok, ok. Yeah, there IS no bullet. But whatever. I still desperately need your help! Like, you have no idea whats been going on around here, since... whatever time you are from." She grumbled about the time materia being utterly 'useless'.

"Time?"

She looked up at him. She looked so much smaller, now that he was standing.

"Well, yeah. I had to bring you back from the past. I heard you were hard-core. And I'm guessing by the way you look now... You're from at least... seventeen, maybe eighteen years ago. Based on photos from my history book, of course." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

History books? He, Vincent Valentine, was in _history books?_ Him, really? But what was it for? All the bad things that he had done, or saving the world a time or two? Possibly both. But history books... That meant... he was in the future. Two decades. This tiny girl brought him here? So then... he was dead in the future.

That had to be it. Otherwise she would have went to him, no? He was sure he would have helped her out, if she was so desperate as to put a gun to his head. (Albeit, unloaded.) So.. that meant he could die? He wasn't just going to live forever, and beyond?

It was almost a relief. Almost.

Twenty years seemed so soon after everything that had happened. Did that mean he was never going to... find happiness?

"Hey, you ok? You look like you're gonna puke, or something."

He shook his head.

"Well, good! Now we can finally start the rescue mission!" She started to walk out of the cave. She seemed to have an impatient attitude. As if nothing in the world could change her mind. Yet, she had this strange aura about her.

Vincent got the feeling that if he did cross her, that she would not hesitate to actually load her gun, and shoot him down. Much like he was, in his Turk days. She... was going to be definitely a handful.

"What's your name?" He asked. He'd feel more comfortable if he at least had some idea what to call her.

She stiffened visibly, but continued to walk along.

"It's Auden."

"Just Auden?" He asked. She was definitely hiding something more from him.

"Yup. _Just _Auden. Because I'm an orphan. That's right. You just made me feel horrible about myself. So, thanks a bunch, _Vinnie_." Auden's words didn't match her tone. She didn't sound as bitter. She sounded nervous. Vincent noted this, and stored it in the new file he made just for her in the back of his mind.

"Just who are we rescuing, Auden?" Vincent asked, hoping to get at least a little bit more information out of this mysterious young girl.

That stopped her in her tracks. She turned to face him slowly.

"We're going after my mentor. I'm the reason he's in the hands of Shin-Ra's Final Supporters." She dropped her head to look at the rocks beneath her feet. "No way am I going to let him die on my watch. I won't let it happen."

Maybe she didn't reflect his _Turk _days after all. Maybe a different part of him all together.

-x-

"Ok, so before we go anywhere else, I have to make a quick stop at my house back in Wutai. And I mean _quick! _We seriously cannot stay there to long. Who knows what'll go wrong?" Auden said as they exited the cave.

"What could go wrong?" The more Auden talked to him, the more he realized that she was hiding something from him. And the secret seemed to get bigger and bigger. What reason could she have something to hide from him?

"Well, um... I haven't paid rent... in a while. Yeah, that's it! I hate the guy I pay, and he'll kick me out the second he sees me, so we have to avoid him at all costs!"

_'Lies, all lies.' _He knew the signs all too well. She was looking around, trying not gaze into his eyes. But that was when he noticed it. How lush, and beautiful the plains surrounding the area looked.

Well, it had been twenty years. It was good to know that the world would rebuild itself. AVALANCHE's efforts wouldn't go to waste. If only Yuffie had been here to see it. She always admired scenery after a long day of traveling.

"Auden, who exactly are these... Final Supporters?" Vincent asked.

"They are this top-secret group, that only came to our attention just a few days ago. They are looking for ways to enhance people again. That's why they were looking for me, to experiment, and poke, and prod. Nasty people. I'm one of the Enhanced Children. You see, one or both of my parents must have been affected by mako." She shifted uncomfortably, and sat down on the grass below her.

"They've been taking a few enhanced kids, but no one seems to know, or care about it. It's as if no one had learned their lesson all those years ago. Aren't people supposed to, you know, learn from the past so they don't repeat it! Morons."

Auden looked up at Vincent, who was still looking out towards the endless plains.

"They took my mentor because he himself was enhanced. I wanted to stop him, but his mind was made. I even tried to _fight _off those Final goons. But they were too strong for me, and my mentor stopped me as well. It was hard watching him go off without a fight." Her voice started to shake.

"I'm not strong enough to save him, or the other kids alone. I _hate _to admit that- you have no idea how much I hate it! But I am. That's why I summoned you. You will help me save them, V... Vincent. And you _better _save him! My mentor would so kick your butt if you didn't! And I'd help! And so would-" She stopped herself, before she could finish.

"Anyway, we better get a move on. We'd _better_ cover some more ground today. Who _knows _what kind of things they are doing to him in that dreadful place?"

Vincent then discovered a flaw in her plan.

"Just how do you suppose we'll find this place if it's confidential in the first place?" Didn't she even think about that, before going off someplace and try to save someone? Did she always dive headfirst into things? Reckless child.

But she just smirked.

"Don't worry about that. I have someone looking into that for me. Trust me, we are _so _taking down the last part of Shin-Ra!"

Vincent shook his head. If Yuffie didn't manage to be the death of him, then this girl would certainly would.

* * *

Ok... Anyone confused? Shocked? Disappointed? Did you like it?

Just who IS Auden, anyway? Just what is she hiding? What's her plan? Why didn't any of you participate in the contest last time? Lol, oh well. Same question, it'll be in the last chapter if you do want to participate. Please tell me what you think! I really want to know if you liked or hated this chapter.

Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, by the way! I do love you all.

See you in the next chapter!

Sorrelstar


	15. PART TWO: Two heads are better than one

This one goes to heavenslilagl420, who I forgot to get the e-mail from. I'm really sorry! Can you send it to me, so I can send you the rest of the fics chapters first? I'm really sorry about this, I hope you at least like the chapter!

* * *

The pair had walked for hours. Vincent was quite aware of how slowly time was passing, thanks to the many complaints Auden served. All she seemed to talk about was her mentor, and how he just started to

teach her how to use a gun, and some moves that will keep enemies farther away.

Vincent quickly learned that she had no skill when it came to a close-up battle. At some point, they found themselves getting into a fight with some monsters, When one got to close to Auden, she almost got seriously injured.

But when enemies were far enough away, she was a real fighter. She never missed a target, it seemed. She hit almost every monster right between the eyes. A scary notion. Just who was her mentor? And how did she learn to do that in the short amount of time she'd been training?

Vincent was impressed. And he wasn't impressed very often.

As the sun was going down, Vincent mentioned to Auden that, perhaps they should find some place to set up camp.

"Lets set up camp here, then. The grass is dry enough, and it's right under the stars-"

"Auden. We're in the plains. Everything is under the stars."

Vincent also learned that she wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch.

She mumbled something under her breath, and just dropped to the ground. She began to untie her boots, and get herself comfortable on the grass. After moving some twigs and rocks that were in her way, she lay back, and looked at the stars.

Vincent looked up as well.

"I always liked looking at the sky. Except now, it feels a bit lonely."

He looked down at her. Usually, when Auden spoke, it was either a complaint, or a different plan to try and save her mentor. This was certainly a change. He just didn't know if it was a good one.

"I've decided that when I save my mentor's ass, I'm going to make him watch the stars with me. He never really seemed to notice them anyway." She smiled bitterly, and looked up to Vincent.

"You'd better get some sleep. If we want to get to the destination that _you _picked out tomorrow." He said to her sternly. Although he was going to work with her, he refused to listen to her complain more than he had to. A cranky Auden would annoy him more than regular Auden.

"Whatever."

He imagined her rolling her eyes. She seemed like an eye roller. The only problem was he couldn't see her eyes. That was the thing that annoyed him the most. Why was she wearing them anyway? Wouldn't they impair her vision? Whatever the reason, it probably wasn't very good. (If there was a reason, anyway.)

-x-

"Vincent... Vincent! Please wake up!"

Vincent woke with a start. He had fallen asleep against one of the only rocks on the field. He felt stiff, and somewhat cold. And now to top it off, he was irritated.

"_What?_" He asked Auden. It must have been at least two o' clock in the morning. He hated waking up when he finally got to sleep. And that wasn't very often at all.

She furrowed her eyebrows, and turned back over on the grass.

"Never mind, forget it."

Vincent licked his lips. Maybe he was too harsh. She still was pretty young, after all. 14, 15 was it? He should treat her as such. Though, he honestly didn't know how. The only 15 year old he ever really dealt with was Yuffie. But she was 16 when he met her right? Just as stubborn. But maybe, Auden was more mature than Yuffie was at 16. (He almost chuckled. It wasn't to hard to be more mature than a 16 year old Yuffie.)

He shook his head, and took a deep breath.

"Uh, Sorry. What happened?" He tried.

She fidgeted in the grass. Auden was good at pointing out others problems, but it seemed that when it came to talking about her own, she wasn't very good at voicing it. She shifted so that she was facing him.

"I might have... maybe kind of... had..." She trailed off. But Vincent seemed to catch her drift.

Auden had a nightmare. He was very familiar with those. Though, Vincent never had to comfort anyone else about their own. When he was with Auden, he ran into so many things foreign to him. In a way, it was a nightmare itself. He didn't want to disappoint her, or scare her in anyway.

"What was is it?" He asked quietly.

Although she was wearing those damnable googles, he could see that she was in pain. With this, he felt a connection that he wished he could break. She was too young to have that expression.

"I was a monster." She whispered.

Vincent looked down. He hated that word. It appeared she had too. They had similarities that shouldn't exist. And he almost felt that it was his fault. Did he make her feel like that? Well if that were the case, he'd have to change that.

"Auden."

"Mm?"

"Trust me when I say you are the farthest thing from a monster."

Auden scooted closer to Vincent, until she was right next to him. She placed her head on his chest with no hesitation, and listened to his steady heart beat. She felt protected, and _safe _with him. And that was what made most of the pain go away.

"Oh Vin-Vin. You don't know that half of it." She said before she fell asleep on him.

Vincent looked around desperately. What was he supposed to do now? He wasn't used to this kind of affection, or touchy moments, even when Yuffie was at her most emotional. (Well, maybe she got like that too, but he didn't really like to think about that too often because he felt... weird.)

Fortunately, Vincent just let her sleep, as did he himself.

There were no nightmares. For either of them.

-x-

The pair woke up early in the morning, and started towards their destination. Luckily, the boats that would leave to Wutai had not left yet, so they got the early ride.

As soon as Auden stepped on, she smiled brightly. Vincent noticed sometime in the past two days that she was a proud Wutain. On the back of her short-sleeved hoodie was an intricate stitching of Leviathan. It was beautifully crafted, and it suited her. The slight accent also hinted her heritage.

It was even more apparent on her face. The sharp curve of her nose and chin, the raven black hair, and the pale skin.

Whenever she talked about Wutai, she held her head higher. It made Vincent almost ashamed that he didn't have such pride in his own Wutain blood. His mother would have been ashamed. He knew that to be true.

But Auden's pride didn't just belong to Wutai.

"Wait until you meet Benjamin. He is _such _a wuss, I swear to god."

Auden had been talking about her 'probably greatest best-friend guy you could ask for (not that I'd ever admit it to his face)' friend, Benjamin. Apparently, between the two, Auden was more powerful, more willing to take risks, and probably better looking too. At least, that's what Vincent gathered from Auden's explanation. It probably wouldn't be the first time she lied.

"I mean, although he's probably my best friend, he almost never let's me get away with anything! He's a fun-sucker. Kind of like you."

Vincent let himself smile a little. This was a nice change. Auden usually complained, but now, with the skip in her step, he could tell she was really excited. She must really like Benjamin. He was all she really talked about on the ride to Wutai.

He felt a little saddened though. Someone who had so much pride in a friend deserved to have pride in a family as well. Especially Auden.

When he looked at Auden, he almost expected for her to say very Yuffie-like things. And DO Yuffie-like things as well. However, Auden appeared to only have the same energy and pride. Most everything else she did was plain Auden. Most everything, anyway. There was something oddly familiar about her. And Vincent was going to find out what it was.

-x-

"Ok... We're here. He told us to meet him at this spot. He better not be late, I'll totally kick his butt!"

Auden tapped her wrist as if there was a watch there.

"Ben! You'd better be here!"

Vincent shook his head. It seems like she was the most impatient person in the entire world. After all, they had just arrived there themselves. She had no right to expect Ben to be there at the exact same time.

"You know, a simple hello would do." Vincent turned around, and there was Ben, clad in a Wutain Army outfit. From the giant Shuriken strapped to his back, it appeared that he was training to be a ninja.

He was a little taller than Auden, but he had the same face shape. Ben also seemed to share the same haphazard jet-black hair. Since it was short, it jutted out in an angular fashion. But it was his stormy-gray eyes that really stood out. They held the same pride Auden showed in her stance. He didn't look any older, or younger than Auden.

"Thank god you're here! Do you have the maps to that disgusting hell-hole?" Auden said while hugging Ben.

"Actually, it's a really nice place, I'm telling you. They have everything a lab would need and- why are you wearing my goggles? I told you not to go through my stuff anymore! Holy Leviathan, Auden!" He pushed her away, and they both engaged in a riveting pushing fight.

'_Oh. That must be her brother. I thought she didn't have any family. No wonder they look so much alike.'_

"So, Benjamin is your brother?" Vincent said.

Benjamin looked at Vincent with a really confused look on his face. He looked at Auden with the confusion still evident upon his face.

"But, I thought you said-"

He looked to Vincent again.

"Why are you wearing..." Realization and horror crossed over the young boy's face. He snapped his head back to Auden.

"YOU DIDN'T!"

Auden furrowed her eyebrows.

"Well, I told you that I have been practicing with the time-travel materia! What'd you expect? That I'd go back in time and bring a dinosaur to the future! Moron." She scoffed.

"I didn't think you'd actually be able to do it! You suck when it comes to handling materia!"

"Well... I didn't think I'd be able to do it either! Actually, it kind of just did it on it's own, so it's not even my fault! Not like you'd believe me, anyway."

Ben laughed, but not in an amused way.

"Auden, you're a _liar, _that's why I never believe you!"

Ben looked back at Vincent again and groaned. He ran his hand through his spiky black hair, and sighed. And sighed again. The poor boy looked like he was about to hyperventilate.

"Auden, do you realize how much trouble you could get into for this? More importantly, do you realize how much trouble _I_ could get into for this? I can't believe you've dragged me into another one of your ridiculous plans! Does he know anything? Because if does, you know what that could do, right?" Ben started to count backwards aloud.

What exactly would it do if he knew... whatever she knew? Vincent could only guess. Messing with time was always a bad idea. The Butterfly Affect was one of the many things to worry about. Vincent needed to be more careful. Why had he been so relaxed with the whole situation?

"Well, what else could I do? I couldn't get... You-Know-Who involved! She'd kill me! And you! And since _my mentor _is locked up in some lab, who better to rescue him than him?" Auden yelled while pointing to Vincent.

Ben sighed yet again.

"Alright. But we better get supplies like you suggested. Than we _get the hell out. _Alright? Oh, and I'm not letting you do this by yourself, either. You know I'm in." He said sternly.

Auden bumped his fist with hers in agreement. That seemed fair. (And it was her plan it the beginning, anyway!)

He started to walk ahead of Vincent and Auden. Ben, like Auden, was all leg.

Auden nudged Vincent softly.

"To answer your question: Yes, he is my brother. We're twins, in fact."

Of course there was another one. _Of course._

_

* * *

So... _Any thoughts on Benjamin? (I love him more then Auden, actually, lol) Any new ideas? Did you expect Auden to be a twin? Did anyone catch a familiar scene in here? Did I update soon enough? Will I stop asking these questions?

Yeah. I'm sorry this chapter was a bit short... but the next part should make up for. And I mean it. People will LOVE the next part. So, really though, what did you guys think? Is it still the fiction that 58 people put on their favorites, or 67 people alerted?

I hope so. I'm proud of this fic, lol

And thank you to all the people who reviewed by the way! 13 reviews again, I'm SO happy!

I love you all!

Sorrelstar


	16. PART TWO: Under one Roof

The next part! Hope you like it... It's still a short chapter... but at least I coming out with them more often, right? Right?

* * *

Vincent could tell that Ben was getting more and more anxious as they neared the twin's house. He kept looking back at Vincent, and sighing heavily, as if that would give him some idea what to tell him. He also kept shooting glares at Auden, who would just shrug her shoulders in return.

"What's done is done." She would say. "Might as well use it to our advantage, right Bennie-Boy?"

Ben would just shake his head, and sigh again.

'_That kid has a problem. He seems to be in a constant state of panic around Auden. I wonder what he could do without her around?' _Vincent thought. He knew that when someone was in a state of panic, they tended to do think less.

'_Well, at least that's more than Auden, who does little to no thinking, it appears. How her trainer managed to keep her safe all this time is a wonder...'_

They did manage to get into another surprise battle. A group of bandits came out from hiding in the woods, and tried to steal Benjamin's shuriken. However, Ben just took aim, and let the bandits get what they wanted. The shuriken pierced one of the bandits hand, and on the way to said hand, got a good hit of the other three.

Audenwhipped out her gun, loaded with rubber bullets, and shot the bandit on the far left. Vincent was about to tackle the one who had just gotten his hand injured via Ben's Shuriken, but the bandits had already begun to run away.

Vincent couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. These kids, although they acted immature most of the time, were very skilled. Vincent wondered why he felt so... proud of them.

They started getting further along, finally. Vincent could tell they were close because Ben was looking at him more and more often.

When they started to climb a steep hill, Vincent noticed that the twins were starting to tire out. Ben's breathing was becoming shallow, and Auden stated to complain about the heat. They would need more time at the house then what was originally planned. At least, for the kids sake.

"Ok, it is just over this hill. We get it, get our weapons, and get out. No stopping to eat lunch, _Auden._" Benjamin had said. Vincent couldn't tell if the young teenager was always this bitter, or if he was just irritated with his sister. Perhaps it was a combination of both. How exactly was he supposed to tell Ben that it was probably a wiser idea to stay longer?

"Yeah, yeah. That was my plan from the beginning. No matter how hungry I am..." Auden replied.

Perhaps Auden would help his case.

Vincent smiled. Since Benjamin had joined them, Auden had been too busy bickering with her brother to bother Vincent too much. It had been interesting watching the two interact with each other. Vincent realized if Auden hadn't told him they were twins, he would have figured it out on his own.

Besides their looks, they also had a few of the same habits. Running into fights without thinking, an enormous appetite for traveling, and... they were stubborn. Neither would ever admit that they were wrong when they fought. Somehow, they always made up.

It was a small family, but Vincent envied it. They looked so happy. It seemed almost impossible that he would ever have something like that. He bowed his head. It _was _impossible. Who on this earth could love him enough to start a family?

"We're here." Ben whispered, interrupting Vincent's thoughts.

Vincent furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the house that was supposedly where the twins lived.

It was a mansion, with a great wall surrounding it. It had more of a traditional design then the rest of the houses in Wutai. There was even a great fountain displaying Leviathan in the front of the mansion. The shingles were a royal red, as were the double doors. The double doors also had gold bolts, and handles, and a large decorated lock. Vincent almost expected to see a moat, or a couple of guards surrounding the place. It was nearly a palace, after all.

"Awfully big place for a couple of orphans." He commented quietly, looking at Auden.

Ben rolled his eyes, and also turned to face Auden.

"_Orphans?_" He hissed.

"Well of course!" Auden snapped. She looked back to Vincent. "It's not like... um... we own the place, or anything. It's just a rental, like I told you." She told Vincent.

Ben resisted slapping his forehead.

"It's a multi-family place." He told Vincent, shooting Auden the hundredth glare that day.

She snapped her fingers.

"Right, thats _exactly _what it is!"

Ben dropped his head into his hands, and started to count backwards aloud again.

"3... 2... 1... Oh, we are so dead... I can't believe how dead we are."

Vincent waited until Ben had calmed down enough to move, and they began to make their way inside. The rush of cool air that came from coming inside calmed not only Ben down, but Auden and Vincent as well. He could tell the twins let their guard down. They were truly home. And what a home it was.

Vincent was amazed by the furniture that lay inside. If he thought the outside was grand, well... the inside was even better. Like the outside, the main room was decorated with reds, and golds.

While Auden ran up the stairs, Ben stayed behind, and kept an eye on Vincent.

"Look, don't... don't touch anything. And don't move from here! If someone comes in, exit out the back door. We'll hear it, and follow after you, ok?"

Vincent nodded, though he really had no plans on leaving. They were definitely hiding something, or to be more precise, hiding some_one. _And he was going to find out who it was, and why they were hiding them.

"Seriously though, stay... staaaay. Here. Stay." Ben said, motioning with his hands that he was to stay. As if Vincent were a dog, or some other kind of house pet. Ben nodded once more, and ran up the stairs.

Vincent looked around the main room, trying to see if there were any other doors. It certainly did not look like it was a multi-family place.

The main room looked like any other living room, save for all the decorations. A large couch in front of the fireplace. A think rug placed right by the couch. A few chairs placed randomly around the room gave Vincent the impression that the twins often had company. _'Just who would visit these two?' _He thought.

He walked over to the fireplace at the other end of the room, and looked on top. Pictures of a young Auden and Benjamin were placed over the fireplace. Just above the pictures was a large shuriken, similar to the one strapped on Ben's back.

It was not the only shuriken that decorated the walls of the main room. There were at least three more, and although they looked as though they've been used, they were well taken care of. He was about to leave the main room, when something caught his eye.

In the glass cabinet, opposite the fireplace was a weapon Vincent knew he had seen before. He opened the glass cabinet slowly, trying not to make any sounds that would alert the twins. (Not like they were all that smart, but better safe than sorry.) He picked up the weapon, looking at it closely. He turned it, examining ever dent, crevice, nook and cranny. He swallowed and pulled out _Cerberus _from it's holster.

With the exception of a few scratches, the guns were completely identical.

The front door opened, and Vincent quickly put the older _Cerberus _back. Just how did the twins acquire his gun? Nothing made any sense! If only he had one more clue, just one, he might be able to figure things out...

"Kids! You home yet?" Vincent looked over to the doors, and saw a slender young women taking off her boots. Her short black hair was kept out of her face with a long black and white headband. Her clothes were a little unorthodox, but somehow, they suited her.

Yuffie.

_'Why does she look so young? She can't possibly be the mother of the twins... can she?'_

She turned, and saw Vincent standing there, looking somewhat confused.

"Vince, something wrong? What happened on the trip with Auden?" She walked up to him and hugged him tight to her. Then, without any warning what so ever, she kissed him full on the lips.

"You ok?" She laughed. "You look a little pale. And why on earth are you wearing these old clothes?" She kept giggling.

Vincent tried to answer her, but he was in such a state of shock that he couldn't even move, let alone speak. Why was she still embracing him? Why did she kiss him? How... how was any of this real?

"Where's Auden?" Yuffie asked.

As if one cue, Auden came storming down the stairs.

"Ok, I have my extra ammo, and another gun just in... uh-oh." She tried to walk up the stairs, as if she hadn't already been spotted, but that only added to Yuffie's suspicions.

"Auden... come here." The warning in Yuffie's voice was foreign to Vincent, yet somehow, not surprising.

Auden walked as slowly as she could towards Yuffie, who finally let go of Vincent. She stepped towards Auden and glared.

"What did you do _this _time?" But it seemed to Vincent, that she was already piecing things together. She looked back at Vincent, and looked at Auden's goggles.

Auden turned her head, left to right, looking for an escape that Vincent knew she wouldn't find.

"YOU DIDN'T!" Yuffie shouted.

"I... uh... I didn't do anything! It was _Ben's _idea! I swear!"

From upstairs, Vincent could hear Ben making his way down to the main room.

"No, I didn't, I swear, she's setting me up AGAIN!" He cried.

"Do not blame any of this on your brother, Auden. I'll get to him later." She looked at Ben, and pointed at the couch. Ben made his way over to said couch, and looked at Yuffie a little nervously. This wasn't the first time they had gotten into trouble, it seemed.

Yuffie looked back at Auden, and took a deep breath.

"Right now you are in such... I can't even- Ugh!" She looked back at Auden and started making obscure gestures, trying to find the right words to yell.

Auden cringed, she knew that Yuffie was about to blow her top, and that she was in deep trouble.

"Auden, do you realize what you've done? Have you listened to _any _of the stories I've told you? At all? What in Leviathan's name possessed you to do this?" Yuffie was shaking with anger, and if Vincent was correct, a little bit of fear as well.

"They got him, mom." '_So Yuffie is the twin's mother' _Vincent thought

"He offered himself in my place! I couldn't just sit there and do nothing! I was just going to bring him back from about two minutes before he was captured, but instead that useless hunk of materia brought _him _back!" Auden said.

Yuffie's face was the definition of sadness. Vincent never saw her like this before. Her mood was infectious, as always. He felt a frown work it's way across his face.

"That's still no excuse, doing this without telling me. You should have come to me first, but I suppose I understand." Yuffie said softly. Auden straightened up a bit, glad that her mother understood what she was going through.

"However, you did make this mess, so _you _have to clean it up."

Auden looked at Vincent, and then looked back at Yuffie. Yuffie nodded in approval.

Auden slowly took off her goggles, and looked back up at Vincent. Her bright scarlet orbs were all Vincent needed to see before he knew that he needed to sit down. Or have his first drink in thirty years, whichever was closer.

"Hi daddy." Auden said sheepishly.

* * *

So... You all saw that coming, huh? No surprises? Shoot. I was kind of hoping to get reviews like... "WHO ARE THEY?" Guess I made it to obvious, lol.

This might be bad news to some people, but maybe not. The end of this fiction is just around the corner, guys. 3 Maaaaaybe four more chapters. I might do a 'next-generation' fiction. I already have the plot and outlines down. It will star Auden and Benjamin, along with 5 other teenagers. It would be called Final Fantasy 7: Legacy. But it depends on your reaction to the idea. If not, I'm moving straight on to either... Pirates or Kingdom Hearts, lol. So tell me what you think!

Thank you so much for the reviews, as usual. You guys would make me so happy if I got 12 more reviews for this one because... that would 200 reviews! So please, all my silent readers out there, at least this one chapter, k?

I love you all anyway,

Sorrelstar


	17. PART TWO: Drinks and Discussions

Sorry it's late... hee hee!

Anonymous reviewer reply:

b: Thank you! I love it when people read the whole thing in one shot, makes me feel special. Thank you so much for your review!

* * *

Yuffie came into the kitchen five minutes later, holding a glass in her hand. For the current situation that they were in, Vincent was surprised at how she had stayed in control. Her face showed only concern, he noted. However, that did little to comfort him. In fact, it did quite the opposite.

He had never been so nervous in his life. Sitting down with future Yuffie, who knew everything about him... was well... nerve-wracking.

"Here's your drink, just like you like it. I think." She said, handing him the glass. She sat down at the opposite end of the table, looking at him intently. She was probably wondering how to explain everything. Though truthfully, Vincent didn't know if he wanted to know the truth. About the future, and Auden, and his... '_relationship' _with Yuffie.

'_How odd,' _He thought. '_How odd it is to think of the words Yuffie and relationship in the same sentence. I never even imagined that she would-' _He paused. That she would what? He didn't exactly know what she did. He took a sip of his very much needed drink.

He pulled his face away from the glass, and realized that the drink was exactly the way he liked it. Maybe a drink wasn't the best idea... It was creepy how Yuffie knew little things like that. Little things that he didn't even notice himself, at times.

"Thank you," He says quietly. He looked down at the glass, and watched the ice swirl around in the liquid. He was thankful for the distraction. He couldn't quite bring himself to look at Yuffie in the eye after Auden's big revelation.

After Auden had announced that Vincent was indeed her father, she and Benjamin were sent upstairs, by Yuffie. Yuffie was... less than pleased by the way Auden had outed the secret. She gave Vincent one last look before climbing the stairs.

'_Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, V. I just thought that you would... freak out or something. You're doing way better than I thought! Good luck with the moms... And uh, please tell her to go easy on us, if you can!'_

He didn't think that he would ever get used to looking into another pair of scarlet eyes.

"So!" Yuffie began. Stretching her arms upward, and bringing them back down into her lap. "I guess you have lots of questions about the future. And since you're here, might as well divulge on what you want to know."

Vincent opened his mouth, and waited for the brilliant response to come out.

"I..." Was all he was able to get out.

'_Well, it's a good start.' _He thought bitterly.

Yuffie waved her hand to signal for him to continue.

"Is Auden's mentor... me?" He asked.

Yuffie nodded.

"Yup. You took her as an apprentice just recently. She wouldn't stop begging you. Of course, you didn't give her what she wanted right away. You had to see how skilled she was. And well... she's as good as her father." Yuffie said.

"I see." He started to drum his fingers. He should have known. He saw Auden fight. At one point, she even kicked one of the monsters. One in the style that only Turks knew about. How could he have been so blind?

"So then you... train Ben. Your kids... Yuffie, they are so much like you."

Yuffie smiled and took the chain that was hanging around her neck in her hands. She slowly pulled the end until it the the bauble that was hanging on the end came up from under her shirt.

"_Our _kids, Vince."

It took everything he had not to gulp down the rest of his drink in one shot. Looking at the ring at the end of her necklace made him even more nervous.

"I... proposed?" Yuffie almost didn't hear his question, but she figured it would come up sooner or later.

She smiled, because she always wanted to say this to him.

"Actually, I did. I knew you would have taken, like, ten more years! And besides, you said yes. And we had a beautiful marriage, with all our friends there. Then there was our honey moon, when I taught you so many-"

Vincent held up his hand. That could not go in the right direction.

Yuffie took a deep breath, and moved to the chair closest to Vincent.

"Vince. There is something else you need to know about Auden."

He furrowed his eyebrows. This didn't sound good. When Yuffie looked this serious, well, it meant that it was horrible.

"Sharp shooting... isn't the only thing she inherited from you. And I'm not talking about you're good looks either." She said.

Vincent looked down at his hands. What else could Auden possibly have inherited? Not his personality, that was certain. (Though the scowl was closer to his, than Yuffie's.) He looked at Yuffie questioningly. What else could it possibly be? He wouldn't be able to guess, from all the little habits he had.

Yuffie took a deep breath, and looked Vincent in the eye.

"She inherited some of your genes... that weren't originally yours." She looked at him carefully, waiting for him to figure it out.

Realization hit Vincent.

"Chaos..." This was all his fault. Oh, it would be his fault one day... Still, it always managed to come back to him. How could he do this to Yuffie? To Auden? He knew it, he knew that he didn't belong in a family. Maybe he was brought here to warn him. To warn him that this new hope he started to gain was all a lie, that he really did belong in the basement of-

"Vinnie, I'm gonna need you to calm down, ok? Here, let me take that drink from you. You need nature's second greatest gift- water. Plain 'ole water. Ok, stay here." She took the glass from the table, and headed towards the sink. Watching him carefully as she filled the glass with tap water. She returned swiftly, putting the glass on the table.

She took his hand in hers, and started tracing circles on the back of his hand.

"Vince, no one blames you. Not even Auden." She laughed softly. "Well, maybe Ben does a little bit. But that's because he's not an Enhanced Child. He had to do things the hard way. And he's cranky. Like you! But really, no one blames you."

Vincent continued to shake his head. He couldn't believe he became so _selfish _in the future. He knew, he knew this could happen, and yet he had done this to Yuffie, and Auden... how could he?

"Vince?"

He shouldn't even be alive. He was only a hindrance to everyone around him. There really was no point for him to be around. He just caused harm, that's all he really did... He should continue to absolve his sins, thats all he was good for.

"That's it!"

Vincent felt Yuffie slap him hard across the face.

"Sorry, Vincent, but you needed that. Like, seriously. I forgot that you were so _emo."_

Vincent shook his head. He probably did need that.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie."

She smiled brightly, and picked his hand up again, (When did she let go? Was he that far gone?) and gave it a good squeeze.

"Like I said, nothing to be sorry about. Because no one blames you."

He took a minute to digest this information, before asking the question that has really been bothering him, ever since he saw Yuffie walk through the door.

"Yuffie,"

"What is it?"

"...Why is it that you look so young?"

She let go of his hand again, and scratched her head. She seemed to battle whatever doubts she had in her head for a minute or two, and then smiled that infamous Yuffie smile.

"Well, you are just going to have to wait on that one. First, you have to save my husband- _my _Vincent. Then, I'll consider giving you the answer."

Vincent thought that that arrangement was slightly demented. If he himself in the future couldn't handle whatever happened to be coming his way, how could a younger, (most likely) less powerful version of him... save him?

Time travel was really screwing with him. It was hard a hard concept to swallow. He wondered how Yuffie did it in the past.

'_Maybe because there weren't two Yuffies running around. Good lord. Two Yuffies. The world can barely handle one.' _He though with a smile. Maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed.

"Oh, and you're taking Auden with you. Like she'd give us a choice anyway, right?" She chuckled. Vincent couldn't help but smile a little wider. It was odd, smiling twice in one minute. Only around Yuffie, he concluded.

"Oh, one more thing before you go." Vincent turned to Yuffie, and saw that she was deadly serious once again. Seeing Yuffie act so mature, yet still undeniably Yuffie-like almost made his heart skip. (Almost. Vincent's heart doesn't skip... it pauses.)

"Auden has been very unstable as of late. She doesn't have the advantage you had. No Proto Materia means little control. I think thats what those Shin-Ra nerds are after. To control her. Problem is, they still think _Vincent _has some control over chaos. When they find out how dumb he is..."

"They'll kill me."

Yuffie nodded.

"You better stop them, before there stupid little club gets out of control. Get it? Got it? Good. Now go on an' get 'em Vin-Vin!"

He stood up, and took a deep breath. He's been on rescue missions before, but this one is probably the weirdest. He suddenly heard a loud booming noise come from up stairs. It sounded like some sort of earthquake. What on earth was happening?

As he saw Auden run down the stairs, it suddenly hit Vincent that his future daughter was not light on her feet. She had two new guns in each holster now. They looked as powerful as _Cerberus_. (If their powers were combined that is. Nothing could beat _Cerberus._)

"Why are we waiting? We should go? Like, now? And don't try and stop me! Cuz-"

"Auden."

"You can't make me stay here, I'll go nuts, I know it. And seriously I-"

"_Auden." _

"Know it's my fault and- wait. What? I'm _talking. _How rude!"

She crossed her arms and started to pout. She really did take more after Yuffie than Vincent. No way was he ever like that. Unless future him was like-

'_I really have to learn to stop thinking so much.' _Vincent thought.

"Auden, your mother and I..." That was something he was never going to get used to. "We decided you can come. As long as you listen to everything- and I mean _everything _I say. Understood?"

She rolled her eyes, and nodded her head.

"Yes sir. Whatever you say." Auden said sarcastically. She laughed a little and patted Vincent on the back.

"Well, better get going. More we're here, the more he's there. Let's go before the moms finds out that I'm leaving without permission!"

"Auden Lucille Valentine, if you so much as think about leaving now, so help you Leviathan.."

Auden jumped a little, and noticed that Yuffie was there.

"You should stay the night, and get some rest. No way will you be able to defeat those goons if you are tired. That's what happened last time. You were all tired out from training. I told you guys not to exert yourself and now-"

"Yuffie."

"Right, so anyway, you are staying here for the night. I'm not losing any of you to exhaustion. Besides, Vinnie can, and has handled them. I don't doubt him for a moment." Yuffie said.

Auden looked as if she was about to argue, but it was clear that she had lost. Instead, she nodded, and started to trudge back up the stairs. No doubt further preparing for a battle that make take place.

Vincent sat back down at the table. It was going to be a long night.

Yuffie looked at him and sighed.

"You should have more faith in him too, you know. You're stronger than you know." She got up, and turned to walk away.

"You can stay in the guest room, it's right next to our- I mean well, you know. I'll leave the door open, so you'll know." She smiled one last time, and then proceeded to go up the stairs herself.

"Good night," He said softly. Maybe the future wasn't so grim...

* * *

So... Yeah. Wonder if the whole Chaos thing surprised anyone... lol. Wanted to get this up before I went to college (My first day! Eek!) Really wanted a one more chapter before the summer ended. It's short, I know, but I promise the next chapter will be longer! A LOT longer.

Not many people said anything about the Next-Generation Fic. Instead of telling me in a review, please vote in my profile, yes or no! I will NOT write it if no one wants to read it!

And thank you to everyone who reviewed! 16? That's amazing! The most reviews for a chapter since the first one! Amazing! I'm sorry that I haven't responded to all... usually I do it all in one day, and then there are late reviewers... so I'm sorry. And I will try harder to reply to you too!

Have an awesome school year, I love you guys,

Sorrelstar


	18. PART TWO: Annoying Ringing in Your Ear

"Inside here, this creepy ass cave, I mean? Yeah. Future you is waiting." Auden pointed down the cave. She had a determined look on her face, and seemed ready to face her father's captors.

Vincent nodded. He could already see that down through the tunnels of the cave, a man made structure revealed itself to those who ventured far enough. Fortunately for him, he was enhanced, and could see past the darkness of the tunnel. Perhaps Hojo didn't think things though when he gave Vincent these abilities. He didn't know that his own experiment would one day take down his last followers.

Auden bit her lip, and looked to Vincent. Along with her determination, came a slight edge that she seemed about ready to fall from. She was extremely nervous- this might be her first big battle- and they weren't going in with much of a plan. All they had come up with together is 'Storm in, save future Vincent, get the hell out.' Turns out, two heads aren't all that much better than one.

He laid a hand on her shoulder, trying (in his own way) to comfort her. She nodded, and they both entered the darkness of the tunnel. Vincent slowly drew _Cerberus _out of it's holster, and pointed it downward. He wasn't going to let anyone down this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Auden had a tight grip on her twin guns (the white named _Zeus_,and the black named _Hades _he had learned earlier), and had a very concentrated look on her face. Vincent found himself surprised at the fact that she hadn't started chattering away nervously, as Yuffie might have before a battle. Instead, each of them took quiet steps through the tunnel, mentally preparing themselves for what they might find. They were still a little ways from the structure, which made Vincent think.

On closer inspection, he noticed that there were circular indents in the wall, and a metal strip that ran across the floor. Vincent thought that they were probably there for some sort of door, in case someone had tried to escape, or perhaps it was a sensor. He really didn't know about technology in _his _time. Let alone the future. The only reason they would want a tunnel this long, was so that it was harder to escape, yet it was still easy to blend in with the mountains. Shin-Ra's final supporters really thought these things out. Well, that certainly would make things complicated... wouldn't it?

On the way up to the 'cave', many people were giving Vincent and Auden strange looks. Why on earth would they want to go towards that rocky mess? Nothing good could possibly come from it. "They could get hurt."To which, of course, Auden had to respond with an overly snarky remark. Thank you, Yuffie, and your lessons on how to deal with people. Shouldn't she have taught their children a little bit more respect?

The thought still amazed him to no end. Auden and Benjamin were his children. Well, they would be. (Right?) His and Yuffie's. They were so much like Yuffie, and a lot like himself. Vincent wondered how someone like Auden could harbor something as powerful as Chaos, and control him to some extent. He has also wondered why she didn't hate him for it. Because of his genes, he had made the perfect vessel for chaos, and Auden was the one to suffer. _His fault, it was all his fault._

Vincent shook his head lightly. Now was not the time to be thinking of these things! He had to protect Auden first and foremost. No- he had to protect his family. That's what was most important.

The duo noticed that the floor beneath them felt, and sounded different. They had reached the structure. Vincent held up his hand, signaling Auden to not make a move until he had said so. Vincent closed his eyes, and listened for any on coming footsteps. There were none. That was odd, from what Benjamin had told him earlier, there were quite a few followers. No matter. Things were going to get done a lot quicker this way. Maybe.

Vincent looked at the hallway. They had two options Left or right.

"Auden." He said quietly. "Which way?"

Auden paused, and seemed to think very carefully for a minute. "I think we should go right. I have a good feeling about it."

"Thanks."

And Vincent turned left.

-x-

They explored the entire left wing of the building, and not a soul was in sight. The more disturbing thing about it was... many things were destroyed. There were even some splotches of blood. They had found a room with many cages, they seemed used, but now... empty. Everything was gone. At the sight of everything they had seen thus far, Auden had started to shake.

"What happened here?" What Auden really wanted to ask, however, was "_Where is my dad?"_

Vincent put _Cerberus_ back in it's holster, and picked up some loose papers. He looked through all of them to try and get a good idea as to what happened. Maybe something had a clue. Nothing.

He looked to Auden, who looked very distressed at the moment. She stuck close to him ever since she had seen the cages. Those seemed to freak her out the most.

"Maybe you were right, Auden. let's go to check out the right wing. Maybe... we'll find something there." He said.

Vincent pulled out _Cerberus _again, and quietly walked down the littered white hallway, his metal shoes making a slight clicking noise against them.

Again, they were met with another messy, bloody scene. However, the right wing was only one room, and it was dome shaped. Huge, with windows for people to look down into this room. Vincent noticed in the center of the room was a bed for test subjects.

Yup, this was Shin-Ra's work alright.

He heard a clattering from the room above. There was a single man standing there- he was in a white coat, and he was severely injured. He had also looked very, very angry. Vincent and Auden immediately aimed their weapons at him.

"Y-you! You ruined _everything!" _The scientist cried over the intercom. Vincent had concluded that he was delirious in his pain. That may have made him more dangerous, though. "But now... oh yes, now, I get to _test __our product. I get to see you __rip each other apart!_"

Before Vincent could fully guess what was happening, the man slammed his hand down on something on the desk. Suddenly, a screeching noise blasted from the speakers that were attached at the upper corners of the dome.

Both Auden, and Vincent's weapons clattered to the ground, and they quickly pressed their hands to their ears. This noise was pure torture. It was tearing them apart on the inside- the true meaning of pain. That wasn't the only effect of this noise- no.

It seemed to be calling upon the beats that lay inside them. Galian Beast roared within him, scratching at his very being. Auden didn't seem to be in much better shape. She had sunk to the ground, shaking violently, tears rolling down her now glowing eyes. She wouldn't be able to take it long- he knew what it was like to have Chaos ripping your body apart from the inside.

Vincent needed to get them out of here. He needed to do something. He looked around desperately. There had to be something- anything to help them out of this- otherwise they just might destroy each other... or worse.

But he couldn't- he was stuck on the spot, using all his strength to hold Galian Beast back. It was hopeless. This was all his fault- everything- it really was all his fault.

That was the last human thought that had crossed through his mind before Galian Beast made his grand appearance.

-x-

Auden looked up, and saw that Vincent- her protector had transformed. No- it wasn't Vincent anymore. Vincent's mind was completely gone. Now she, was left alone with this beast- and had no help at all. She gritted her teeth, and took her hands away from her ears- that dreadful noise clawed at her eardrums. (Chaos responded. Begging Auden to let him take over, or else.)

She reached for _Cerberus_, and shot at the speaker to her left. The tremors in her body weren't so violent now, however, that wasn't the case for Galian Beast. He looked ready to attack. And he wasn't aiming at the scientist who seemed to be laughing himself crazy.

She quickly aimed, and shot at the other speaker- silencing the noise. Auden felt bone tired. That was an original piece of music she never wanted to hear again, if she could help it! The floor beneath her shook as another noise- possibly far scarier than the wretched screech, roared itself into being. She dropped _Cerberus _on the ground. Things took a turn for the worse as she turned around and realized that Vincent had not turned back. Galian Beast had a thirst for blood, and it looked like even the scientist was sane enough to get out of dodge.

Auden turned on her heel, and ran out of the room as fast as she could. She quickly realized her first mistake: she left her guns behind. All she has was the hope that she was faster then the Galian Beast. Hey! Maybe if she was lucky, he was dumber than her, and trick him into thinking she went a different way down the hall!

Well... it was the only thing she had, and in a panicked state of mind- it was pure genius. She skidded down the hall, looking for any secret doors that she might have missed before. No such luck.

The floor quaked with every step that the Galian Beast took, and the beast moved swiftly for it's size. Auden could hardly keep a distance between them. He even managed to swiped at her a few times- barely missing her. (She had felt the wind that came with his strong paw on her clothes. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.) However, the beast was kind enough to stop for a second, and growl as loud as it could.

Auden was so scared- she was alone now. She had to fight this all by herself. If only she had listened, or told someone about her plan! Now, everything was going to hell because of her. All of this- her and Vincent might die, and it was all her fault!

Auden's heart was beating very fast now. The Galian Beast was hot on her trail. She hadn't been able to trick it once. Why couldn't she think of what to do? She called out in a last ditch effort to reach the man inside.

"Vincent! Vincent, _please!_" She was crying really hard, her voice thick with fear. "It's _me_! I'm your daughter! So, _please, please _turn back!'

The beast only roared in return.

'_This is it. This it, isn't it? I'm going to get killed by my own father- and he won't even know it. Oh Leviathan. This will destroy him. He'll kill me, then he'll kill himself. He won't be able to live with the grief. But then... mom... Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen! Benjamin, Mom, please! Please don't do anything stupid- please!_

_Daddy, why didn't you let them take me instead?'_

She ran down yet another hallway, and was too late too realize the fatal mistake.

"Dead end?" Auden was shaking so much. She turned around, to see that the Galian Beast slowly made it's way towards her- almost admiring the fact that he had caught her. Auden shook her head, and looked into it's eyes.

'_It's me! Please! PLEASE! Vincent! DAD!'_

The Galian Beast stood on it's hind legs, and raised one claw. Auden shut her eyes. There was nothing she could do now.

"I'm so sorry Vincent." She whispered quietly. She opened her eyes to face death, but saw that the beast paused for a moment- just a moment. What did she say again?

_THWAP!_

It was the oddest noise.

_THUMP_

No, that was weirder.

The Galian Beast lay before her, unconcious, and soon, it was Vincent, laying there. Auden looked up.

"_Dad!" _

Future-Vincent stood there looking positively annoyed. He had a large gun in his hand, with a dent in the side. Galian Beast head shaped dent, that is.

"What did I say about coming after me?" He scolded lightly.

Auden sniffed, and ran into his arms. She breathed in his scent, happy that she could smell it again. Everything was ok now, even if she was grounded until the end of the century.

"I'm sorry, Dad." She mumbled into his chest.

He put his hand on her head, and the other around her shoulders.

"Everything's going to be ok."

* * *

So... uh... :D

Sorry, you guys! College really isn't an excuse to go so long without coming out with an update! I sincerely hope that this makes it up for you guys! I wanted this to be a heart racing chapter... hope I achieved it. i also think, looking back at some of my older chapters, that I improved, at least a little bit. And I can't remember if I replied to your reviews last time, or not. I am deeply sorry. Well, this whole weekend is devoted to you! I'm going to write another chapter, and (hopefully) post it sometime this week. I will also reply to every single one of your reviews, I promise!

Also, not sure if you remember about the spin-off I was talking about, the one with Auden, and Benjamin? Unless I get a response about it this time, I don't think I'll write it. Because... I am working on a *real* novel. Whole new characters, a whole new world. I wonder where that'll take me! (But don't worry, I still have time for fanfiction) I may however, do a whole bunch of drabbles of absolute Yuffentine fluffiness. This story was mostly about plot. Maybe I'd do a little thing of romance through the years that led up to it! Mostly rom-com-ish type action. Though, with my humor, you guys might like it :)

By the way... Auden's original name was Victoria. It was for a long, long time. Then, before she was introduced to the story, my sister told me she thought it was too cheesy, so I changed it last minute. She'll always be 'Toria to me!

Love you guys!

Sorrelstar


	19. PART TWO: Oddness

When Vincent first awoke, he felt a wave of pain and panic wash over him. It felt as though his head had broken a fall for meteor, and then taken a hit from Barret's truck. On top of that- his body wasn't responding to any of his commands. Even opening his eyes was too difficult a task.

Just where was he anyway? He couldn't remember anything passed that dome shaped room he and Auden had entered Leviathan knows how long ago.

Auden... Auden! He had vaguely remembered seeing her in pain. But why was she in pain? How did that happen? What caused her to look like she was on the verge of insanity? Where was she now? Was she safe? Was she able to rescue her real father? What about Benjamin? The questions wouldn't stop haunting his mind- he couldn't escape.

Vincent already knew that if anything had happened to Auden, he would never forgive himself- a first class ticket to the Shin-Ra Basement, where he may rest with the memories and regrets forever.

Suddenly- a thought hit him. He would never let down his child. Ever. He made a vow, right then and there that he would not only protect Auden, but his entire family. This future. When it came time to come and protect Auden, Benjamin and Yuffie, he would step forward. This decision, he knew, was something that would impact his entire life.

Therefore- Auden couldn't e hurt. It wasn't possible. Perhaps his current strength couldn't protect his daughter, but in time he would be able. Future Vincent must've saved her from any tragic fate that could've taken place in that horrible cave. Yes, now he was sure of it. He would have felt the thickness in the air, the kind that had always seemed to be the first sign that a tragedy has just struck. He had grown familiar with the thickness in the air, but this time, it wasn't there to greet him, and for that he would be forever thankful.

He imagined that Auden was with Benjamin right now. They would already be bickering, or fighting over something minimal. Perhaps they were training, or running, or playing, or sleeping. He even imagined that they were already on another adventure, ready to take on the world. Yuffie would be with them. She would protect them from anything. Including themselves.

She loves her kids so damn much. She's so proud that she has such strong children, that they had the drive to protect, and the will to take the future for themselves. They inherited this from her- they were their legacy. And it showed that she was proud of them. It would show in her smile.

Not just any smile though. It was the one and only Yuffie smile. Not the usual cheeky grin she wears, but the one that always made him feel better. There was no darkness inside of him that couldn't be destroyed by that smile. It was everything that Yuffie was. Was that... was that how he fell for her? (Future him, he meant. There was no way that he was already...) He sighed contentedly. Did it really matter? Time would tell all, he supposed. He just had to wait his turn.

It was odd to Vincent, he had never really felt that way before, so sure of good to come. Maybe it was the drowsiness, tugging at his conscious mind. Whatever it was, he was ok with it. All he really wanted at the moment was to get some more rest, and to wake up to a smiling Yuffie.

That was the last thought he had in his mind, before the darkness took him once again.

* * *

The second time Vincent was semi-aware, he still could not move a muscle. That was perfectly ok with him though- he was tired.

Besides- he felt as though he was somewhere familiar. The scent in the air was comforting. Vincent knew this smell. He just couldn't quite place where it was from. Not only that, beneath his body was a warm bed. He probably wasn't dead like he had originally thought.

The only thing he wasn't to thrilled about at the moment was the same dull pain that was in his head. Not exactly a head ache. Vincent figured he must've taken a blow to the head. It would explain the missing memories, not that they were such a big deal. For once in his life, he was confident that everything turned out ok. Even if they didn't, he would find a way to make it right again.

In his half sleep state, he heard distant voices fill the room he was in. Vincent is pretty sure they are talking about (or to) him. They sound really worried, and he didn't like that he was causing them so much pain. If only he could say something.

"Ugh..." Was all he managed. Hopefully he didn't sound too pained. From the small gasp that was made, he was sure that he was able to tell the person who was there that he was alright, and... kind of listening.

Someone grabbed his hand. It was warm, and somehow, reassuring. They were whispering things to him. He almost felt like a child again. Only his mother had ever treated him so gently. It was a nice change.

He heard someone else enter the room. Things were a little bit clearer now. Maybe this time he would wake up, and say something. Tell whoever he's with that he appreciates what they've done, but that he's got to get back to his family.

"Is he ok? Like... for real?" That was the new voice. Quiet, and sounds rather desperate. Almost guilty.

"He'll be fine. Isn't he always?" So they were both female. However, the second voice seemed so familiar. He just couldn't remember who it belonged to. Why wasn't his brain working yet? How hard did he hit his head, exactly?

"I know, but, like. He looks like shit." Lovely. Maybe they weren't so desperate.

"Just go downstairs, ok? I've got this." He would have to thank this person later. The other person was not of good company, and they were only there for a few seconds. _Reminds me of someone I know. _

He heard the other person storm away, obviously annoyed with his saviour.

"Hey, wipe that look off your face." _What look? _"She's gone now ok? Now get some rest, so we can have a real conversation. I'm sure you have lots of questions. Not sure you're gonna like who they're coming from, though."

"I heard that." A deeper voice coming from outside the room. Was he there that entire time? (Vincent got a bad vibe from this guy. What was he doing here? This was his spot.)

"Dearest, I love you, but you don't exactly have a way with words." Vincent mentally smirked.

"Hmph."

He decided that he wanted to fall back asleep on that note. With his favorite voice winning against that other guy.

* * *

He snapped his eyes open. He brought a hand to his head. Immediately he noticed that there was quite a large bump there. That was definitely going to cause some major headaches for the next couple of days. How did he get that, anyway?

He looked down at himself. He wasn't wearing his usual battle ready leather suit... or his gauntlet. Instead, he was wearing white pajamas with blue pinstripes on them. Although they were comfortable... it made him wonder even more... Where was he?

He took a quick look around the room he was in. The walls were painted a light green, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. A lonely red leather chair was in the corner, next to a pile of books. And to his right, there was a single window. From the bed, he could see that the house he was in was overlooking a city filled with people. Ok, he was in Wutai.

_So... then I'm probably in the Kisaragi manor. Good._

One thing that caught his attention was how there were bookshelves decorating every wall. Over the bookshelves hung weapons. Not just any weapons. _Shuriken. _So he was right. He let out a sigh of relief. No wonder he didn't feel this instant panic when he didn't feel the familiar weight of his gauntlet on.

There was no possible way any one would've found him unless Auden called for help. That meant she was ok too. How exactly did he end up in the state he was in though?

(_Too many questions... _Time travel, it seemed, was forever going to irritate him. Nothing good ever came from it. He should have known from all the books he had read as a child.)

Vincent was glad that he had noticed that there had been a bedside table next to him, with a glass of water sitting on top. Water had never looked so lovely. He downed the entire glass in seconds, making him wonder how long he might've been out.

Vincent took a deep breath, and he got out of bed. He was curious as to what kind of books lay in the bookshelf. He wobbled a little on the way, realizing that he might've overestimated his balance. Once there, he realized that most of the books were written in Wutain. The lettering was beautiful. _Are these in ancient script? _He brushed his fingers against the titles of the books, and contemplated reading one. Who knows how much of the silence he would have left.

"It's a good collection."

Vincent whipped his head around, and faced himself.

Future Vincent leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed, looking somewhat amused. His hair was cut to chin length, although some wisps of hair were shorter. Without the headband, dark hair seemed to fall right below his eyes. Gone was the usual leather outfit, and in it's place a thin tee shirt and a regular pair of slacks. It was almost a completely different person.

Future Vincent walked over to a leather chair that was sitting in the corner, and took a seat.

Vincent was silent. He had no idea what to say.

"It's interesting,,, being on this side of the story now," Future Vincent said. "I remember being in your shoes not too long ago." He gave a half smile.

"Auden?" Vincent asked quietly.

"She's down stairs, cleaning. That girl doesn't know how to take orders." He motioned for Vincent to get back into bed. _This may be one of the oddest things I've ever encountered. _

"This could all be yours, you know." He said unexpectedly. "I know... that you're thinking that this isn't real. That there is no way that you could have a family."

Vincent didn't respond. Can't exactly lie to yourself. Especially an older wiser version. _This could get irritating, very quickly._

"If you don't forgive us, you'll be alone forever."

_Point proven. I am not a child._

"No, you're not. But you won't listen to anyone else."

_Great. I remember what I think. _

"Don't screw up the future. It's all up to you now." Future Vincent got up, and was about to leave the room, but Vincent had one question that had been bugging him since he had got to the manor the first time.

"Why is Yuffie... like that?"

Future Vincent turned to face him.

"She... injected herself with mako. Made an ex-Shin-Ra member do it. I couldn't stop her." He didn't seem to regret this, nor was he happy about it. He... accepted it. After all, who could change the mind of the great Ninja?

"You don't have much time left here." Future Vincent called out from behind his shoulder. Then he left the room.

_I better not be that obnoxious... when I get to be on the other side._

And he went downstairs.

* * *

"Finally! I thought you'd never wake up!"

"Auden. Get off me." Vincent said. He was secretly thrilled to see her in one piece.

"Ok, ok, fine. I can't believe you don't even remember what happened! I mean, it was totally bizarro. That weird high pitched noise was a real pain in the ass. Man, if I ever find those goons who built it, I'm definitely going to whoop their ass. Maybe then they'll get the Chaos they want. Heh." Auden laughed the whole thing off already. How she did that was beyond him.

According to the short version of Future Vincent's tale, he had already knew what they had built, and how they planned on using it. The final Shin-Ra supporters were trying to make an army of Enhanced Children, with a controlled Choas/Auden at the front. The high pitched noise they had heard was tested on different Enhanced kids. What they didn't know, was it also unleashed an inner power for a short time.

So Future Vincent let himself get captured, learned what the machine did and how, and planned an escape with all the Enhanced Children. It didn't take much to destroy the cages. However, Future Vincent wasn't fast enough to get that last supporter, causing Auden and Vincent to feel it's affects. It had happened in his time too. From that point on, he knew exactly what was going to happen. Luckily, he prevented Vincent from doing any harm to his daughter.

"You must remember this." Future Vincent said. ""It is vitally important."

Vincent suddenly understood. Future Vincent wasn't telling him all this for no reason. This would one day be his job. He had better make sure to write this all down when he had the chance.

He had never told Yuffie any of this, of course, so he wouldn't worry her. "It seemed like a good idea at the time..." He probably was never going to hear the end of it.

Benjamin and Auden were punished, for working behind their parents back, although Yuffie and Future Vincent were thankful. ("Yeah. It shows," Ben had said, rolling his eyes. "This is all your fault- again!")

When everything had calmed down, they had all say down to talk.

"Listen Future Dad- I didn't mean for any of this to happen... so, like... I'm... ugh. I'm sorry." Auden said it as though it pained her.

He nodded. He knew that any daughter of Yuffie's was bound to get into some sort of trouble. And well... she was trying to protect her family. If that's the worst she ends up doing, then he is blessed by Leviathan.

"So, um. Make sure you make a move on Future mom, ok? If you don't, Ben and I might not exist! And then you'd be way more emo then you are now. Which, I might point out, would be completely annoying. Seriously, smile once in a while, you old fart! Well, not an older fart then-"

"Auden."

"Right. Seriously though- best mom in the world over there. Don't screw this up."

"Yeah. Although, if there was anyway to make it so I'm an only child, I wouldn't mind so much." Ben said. (Only to get smacked by his sister soon after.)

Vincent was thankful he had this oppurtunity. He learned that he could move on, and that there was a bright future ahead of him. Maybe everything happens for a reason. He gave a small smile to Yuffie.

"Hey Vince... take a chance. That's what got me you know. When you asked me to..." She giggled. "To 'accompany you to dinner, if I liked.' I'm sure I'm already waiting." She smiled brightly.

Why did it sound like they were all saying good bye? Didn't he have time to ask more questions? To get to know the future a little bit more? He felt like he didn't have enough time in the world to spend with his family. (Although, he could do without his future self. That was a little creepy.)

Then he noticed. He felt that same tug at his soul, the familiar tingling through out his body- his time here was up. He started to panic- it couldn't end, not yet! He looked at his future family once more, and then he knew.

It's not ending, it's only just begun. It's just up to him.

And then he faded.

* * *

One more chapter, and a possible epilogue folks! This... was a toughie. Vincent doesn't talk much, and I always knew he;d talk to himself eventually. I hope it was somewhat believable. I'm trying to put a lot more effort into my writing now. I literally re-wrote the first page 4 different times. I already started my next project. It's a FFXIII one. Hope/Light. Got the outline for the first chapter done. (I never even used to do outlines before! Wow, right) And I've been doing research on some of the things that will happen. Anyway, enough with the shameless advertising.

I wanted to know why I on;y got six reviews last time. Was it not that good last time? If a chapters not good, I need to know. (No, not a flame.) I'd really like to know what you guys think of my work! And to my six lovely reviewers- I love you so much! I really appreciate it!

Hopefully chapter in the next 1-2 weeks. I hope it will be a grand finale. It's been two whole years, you know? It;s definitely been a learning experience!

Sorrelstar


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